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Transmission of Pruriceptive Signals

  • Chapter
Pharmacology of Itch

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 226))

Abstract

In this chapter we discuss the many recent discoveries of the mechanisms by which itch is transmitted: the neurotransmitters and the responses they trigger, the mechanisms by which specific neuronal targets are activated, and the specificity of the pathways. Current data reveal that DRG neurons and spinal cord cells use a remarkably selective set of transmitters to convey pruritic information from the periphery to the brain: glutamate and Nppb are released from primary itch-sensory cells; these molecules activate secondary spinal cord pruriceptive-specific neurons, which in turn utilize Grp to activate tertiary pruriceptive-selective neurons. Intersecting this basic linear excitatory pathway, inhibitory input from dynorphin and neurons that express the somatostatin receptor modify itch sensation. Cumulatively, these studies paint an elegantly simple picture of how itch signals are transformed and integrated in the spinal cord and open new avenues for research efforts aimed at understanding and better treating itch.

We are grateful to Leah Pogorzala and Hans Jürgen Solinski for their valuable suggestions. This work was supported by the intramural research program of the NIDCR NIH.

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Abbreviations

Bhlhb5:

Basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor 5 inhibitory neurons

DRG:

Dorsal root ganglion

Grp:

Gastrin-releasing peptide

Grpr:

Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor

NK-1:

Neurokinin 1

Nmb:

Neuromedin b

Nppb:

Natriuretic polypeptide b

Npr1:

Natriuretic peptide receptor 1

Npr2:

Natriuretic peptide receptor 2

PLC:

Phospholipase C

Sst:

Somatostatin

Sstr2:

Somatostatin receptor 2

Tlx3:

T-cell leukemia homeobox 3

TR4:

Testicular orphan nuclear receptor 4

TRPV1:

Transient receptor potential subfamily vanilloid member 1

VGlut2:

Vesicular glutamate transporter 2

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular Genetics Unit, Laboratory of Sensory Biology, NIDCR, NIH, Building 35, Room 3F145, 35 Convent Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Santosh K. Mishra & Mark A. Hoon

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  1. Santosh K. Mishra
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  2. Mark A. Hoon
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Correspondence to Mark A. Hoon .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Alan Cowan

  2. Department of Dermatology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadephia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Gil Yosipovitch

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Mishra, S.K., Hoon, M.A. (2015). Transmission of Pruriceptive Signals. In: Cowan, A., Yosipovitch, G. (eds) Pharmacology of Itch. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 226. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44605-8_8

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