The Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channel family participates in numerous functions of the Nervous System. A recent publication tends to indicate that TRP might also be of interest for therapeutical strategies for controlling pro-inflammatory  CD4+ T cell reactions.

Human noxious stimulus–detecting (nociceptor) sensory neurons produced by converting skin cells with a set of five genes (Credit: Elizabeth Buttermore, PhD).

In a recent publication, Dr Clifford J. Woolf’s team (Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), USA) described a new experimental technique to produce in vitro pain-sensing neurons directly from mouse and human skin cells. For this, the authors have defined optimal cell culture conditions with five transcription factors to reprogram mouse or human fibroblasts into noxious stimulus–detecting (nociceptor) neurons.

Interestingly, these neural models displayed TRPV1 sensitization to PGE2 (an inflammatory mediator) and Oxaliplatin (a chemotherapeutic drug) modeling the mechanisms related to 1/ in inflammatory pain hypersensitivity and 2/ painful chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.

This in vitro neural cellular model will help the research community to better understand neuropathies and hypersensitivity to pain in fundamental and personalized medicine programs.

Sources:

• Harvard Stem Cell Institute: Pain in a dish – Turning skin cells into pain-sensing neurons, November 24, 2014.
• Woolf B.J. et al. “Modeling pain in vitro using nociceptor neurons reprogrammed from fibroblasts” (2014) Nature Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1038/nn.3886

Immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy enables cellular detection, localization and distribution pattern of antigens with fluorescent-conjugated antibodies. When all experimental settings are optimally defined, IF can bring valuable information such as dynamics of protein trafficking, protein co-localisation…

A post-doctoral position is available in Pr. Tomo Tanaka’s lab (Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression – University of Dundee), for up to three years, to study the mechanisms of chromosome segregation in vivo like the in vitro kinetochore–microtubule interaction using TIRF microscopy (Job Reference: LS0530). The closing date is Saturday, January 31, 2015.

To know more about this opportunity, please look at the dedicated web page or visit Pr. Tomo Tanaka’s web site.

You might also look at the latest vacancies at the College of Life Sciences of the University of Dundee!