Somatosensory neuron types and their functions

张旭，神经科学家，中国科学院院士。1985年毕业于第四军医大学，1994年获瑞典卡罗琳斯卡医学院博士学位。曾先后在第四军医大学神经科学研究所任讲师、副教授和研究员、神经科学研究所副所长。1999年12月至今在中国科学院上海生命科学研究院神经科学研究所任研究员、感觉系统研究组组长。曾任中国科学院神经生物学重点实验室主任,中国科学院上海生命科学研究院副院长，2010年至今中国科学院上海分院副院长。兼任中国科学院上海交叉学科研究中心主任和中国科学院上海临床研究中心主任。兼任中国神经科学学会副理事长、中国细胞生物学学会副理事长、中国生物物理学会常务理事和上海市神经科学学会理事长等职。

摘要：

Neuron types are traditionally classified by their morphological, anatomical and physiological properties. Recently, the single-cell RNA-sequencing has been used to study the neuron types. Using the high-coverage single-cell RNA sequencing and in vivo electrophysiological recording, we analyzed the transcriptome and functions of somatosensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of mice. Ten types and fourteen subtypes of DRG neurons have been identified, including six types of mechanoheat nociceptors (Li et al., Cell Research, 2016). We are also analyzing the changes of DRG neuron types and subtypes in the mouse models of chronic pain. Moreover, we investigate the molecular network and mechanism responsible for heat nociception in these mechanoheat nociceptors. Fibroblast growth factor 13 (FGF13), which is a non-secretory protein, was highly expressed in five types of mechanoheat nociceptors. We found that the loss of FGF13 in the mouse DRG neurons selectively abolished the heat nociception (Yang et al., Neuron, 2017). FGF13 interacted with Na_v1.7 and maintained the membrane localization of Na_v1.7 during noxious heat stimulation, enabling the sustained firing of action potentials. The FGF13/Na_v1.7 complex is essential for sustaining the transmission of noxious heat signals. Finally, we suggest that neuron types should be defined based on their transcriptome, morphology and function. Such a classification of neuron types is important for revealing the pain mechanisms under the physiological and pathological conditions.

11月15日14:00-15:30

清华大学生物新馆143

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