Posttranslational Mechanisms of Peripheral

ABSTRACT: The sensation of pain can be dramat-ically altered in response to injury or disease. This sen-sitization can occur at the level of the primary sensory neuron, and can be mediated by multiple biochemical mechanisms, including, but not limited to, changes in gene transcription, changes in translation, stability, or subcellular localization of translated proteins, and post-translational modifications. This review focuses on post-translational modifications to ion channels expressed in primary sensory neurons that form the machinery driv-ing peripheral sensitization and pain hypersensitivity. Studies published to date show strong evidence for mod-ulation of ion channels involved in transduction and transmission of nociceptive inputs coincident with bio-physical and behavioral sensitization. The roles of phos-phorylation and oxidation/reduction reactions of volt-age-dependent sodium, potassium, and calcium channels are discussed, as well as phosphorylation-mediated mod-ulation of sensory transduction channels. © 2004 Wile