PIEZO2-dependent rapid pain system in humans and mice.



Bouchatta, Otmane, Brodzki, Marek, Manouze, Houria, Carballo, Gabriela B, Kindström, Emma, de-Faria, Felipe M, Yu, Huasheng, Kao, Anika R, Thorell, Oumie, Liljencrantz, Jaquette
et al (show 19 more authors) (2023) PIEZO2-dependent rapid pain system in humans and mice. [Preprint]

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Abstract

The PIEZO2 ion channel is critical for transducing light touch into neural signals but is not considered necessary for transducing acute pain in humans. Here, we discovered an exception - a form of mechanical pain evoked by hair pulling. Based on observations in a rare group of individuals with PIEZO2 deficiency syndrome, we demonstrated that hair-pull pain is dependent on PIEZO2 transduction. Studies in control participants showed that hair-pull pain triggered a distinct nocifensive response, including a nociceptive reflex. Observations in rare Aβ deafferented individuals and nerve conduction block studies in control participants revealed that hair-pull pain perception is dependent on Aβ input. Single-unit axonal recordings revealed that a class of cooling-responsive myelinated nociceptors in human skin is selectively tuned to painful hair-pull stimuli. Further, we pharmacologically mapped these nociceptors to a specific transcriptomic class. Finally, using functional imaging in mice, we demonstrated that in a homologous nociceptor, Piezo2 is necessary for high-sensitivity, robust activation by hair-pull stimuli. Together, we have demonstrated that hair-pulling evokes a distinct type of pain with conserved behavioral, neural, and molecular features across humans and mice.

Item Type: Preprint
Uncontrolled Keywords: Neurosciences, Pain Research, Chronic Pain, 1.1 Normal biological development and functioning, 1 Underpinning research, Neurological
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 26 Feb 2024 09:21
Last Modified: 27 Apr 2024 22:53
DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.01.569650
Open Access URL: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.01...
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3178861