Yonsei Med J.  2015 Sep;56(5):1307-1315. 10.3349/ymj.2015.56.5.1307.

TWIK-Related Spinal Cord K+ Channel Expression Is Increased in the Spinal Dorsal Horn after Spinal Nerve Ligation

• Hwang HY
• Zhang E
• Park S
• Chung W
• Lee S
• Kim DW
• Ko Y
• Lee W

• KMID: 2163622
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2015.56.5.1307

Abstract

PURPOSE
The TWIK-related spinal cord K+ channel (TRESK) has recently been discovered and plays an important role in nociceptor excitability in the pain pathway. Because there have been no reports on the TRESK expression or its function in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord in neuropathic pain, we analyzed TRESK expression in the spinal dorsal horn in a spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We established a SNL mouse model by using the L5-6 spinal nerves ligation. We used real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry to investigate TRESK expression in the dorsal horn and L5 dorsal rot ganglion (DRG).
RESULTS
The SNL group showed significantly higher expression of TRESK in the ipsilateral dorsal horn under pain, but low expression in L5 DRG. Double immunofluorescence staining revealed that immunoreactivity of TRESK was mostly restricted in neuronal cells, and that synapse markers GAD67 and VGlut2 appeared to be associated with TRESK expression. We were unable to find a significant association between TRESK and calcineurin by double immunofluorescence.
CONCLUSION
TRESK in spinal cord neurons may contribute to the development of neuropathic pain following injury.

Keyword

TRESK protein; rat; neuralgia; pain

MeSH Terms

Animals
Disease Models, Animal
Hyperalgesia
Ligation
Male
Neuralgia/*metabolism/physiopathology
Neurons/metabolism
Nociceptors
Pain/metabolism/*physiopathology
Potassium Channels/*metabolism
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn/*metabolism
Spinal Nerves/*injuries
Potassium Channels