A TRiP to the dorsal root ganglia: Unraveling the molecular characterization of the still neglected satellite glial cells.

Despite the classical neurocentric view on pain transmission, robust emerging evidence shows the critical role of other cell types on acute and chronic pain. Satellite glia cells (SGCs), found in the dorsal root ganglion, directly influences the development of hyperalgesia. However, the specific mechanisms by which SGCs contribute to pathological pain remains poorly understood. The central aim of this project is to elucidate the role of TRP channels in the communication between SCGs and neurons in sensory ganglia and to expose how this interplay contributes to inflammatory pain. The hypothesis is that TRP channels in SGCs and neuronal somata are involved in bidirectional signaling within sensory ganglia, thereby modulating neuronal excitability and pain signaling. The project aims to study the effects of TRP channel-dependent sensory neuronal activity on the distinct gene-expression profiles and functions of adjacent SGCs and whether TRP channel-dependent signals from SGCs affect the excitability of nearby sensory neurons. The project proposes a combination of innovative and state-of-the-art approaches, including single-cell transcriptome analyses, spatial transcriptomics, in vivo imaging, and patch-clamp electrophysiology, to investigate its aims. This proposal will yield fundamentally new insights into the signaling between SGCs and sensory neurons under normal and pathological conditions. Such insights may form the basis for novel strategies to treat pain.

Keywords:TRP channels, Satellite glia cells, Pain

Disciplines:Proteins, Molecular physiology, In vitro testing, Pharmacodynamics, Toxinology