[Lysophosphatidic Acid Receptor Signaling Underlying Chronic Pain and Neuroprotective Mechanisms through Prothymosin α].

[Lysophosphatidic Acid Receptor Signaling Underlying Chronic Pain and Neuroprotective Mechanisms through Prothymosin α]. Yakugaku Zasshi. 2019;139(11):1403-1415 Authors: Ueda H Abstract For my Ph.D. research topic, I isolated endogenous morphine-like analgesic dipeptide, kyotorphin, which mediates Met-enkephalin release, and discovered kyotorphin synthetase, a putative receptor and antagonist. Furthermore, I succeeded in purifying μ-opioid receptor and functional reconstitution with purified G proteins. After receiving my full professor position at Nagasaki University in 1996, I worked on two topics of research, molecular mechanisms of chronic pain through lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and identification and characterization of neuroprotective protein, prothymosin α. In a series of studies, we have shown that LPA signaling defines the molecular mechanisms of neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia in terms of development and maintenance. Above all, the discovery of feed-forward system in LPA production and pain memory may contribute to better understanding of chronic pain and future analgesic drug discovery. Regarding prothymosin α, we first discovered it as neuronal necrosis-inhibitory molecule through two independent mechanisms, such as toll-like receptor and F0/F1 ATPase, both which protect neurons through indirect mechanisms. Prothymosin α is released by non-classical and non-vesicular mechanisms on various stresses, such as ischemi...
Source: Yakugaku Zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Yakugaku Zasshi Source Type: research