| Room 206 (Washington DC Convention Center) | |||
| Beyond the Messenger: Translational Regulation as a Novel Target for Pain Management | |||
| Gene regulation is vital for the operation of all cells and occurs through a variety of mechanisms. Although, gene regulation is most frequently discussed at the transcriptional level; from DNA to RNA, the next step -- RNA to protein -- is also tightly controlled in cells and plays important roles in physiological and pathophysiological processes. Moreover, there is high discrepancy between amount of mRNA and amount of corresponding protein in the living cell, suggesting that the regulation of translation is at least as important as regulation at the level of transcription. In this session translation regulation pathways will be briefly reviewed and data concerning how these pathways contribute to nociception will be discussed. Dr. Price will discuss the role of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), a protein involved in RNA transport and translational repression, in nociception. Dr. Kitamoto will discuss the potential role of microRNAs, a new class of non-protein-coding small RNA molecules, in translational regulation of genes involved in chronic pain. Dr. Diatchenko will discuss the molecular mechanism by which combination of synonymous and nonsynonymous variations in the human gene for Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) code for differences in COMT enzymatic activity and are associated with heightened pain sensitivity. | |||
| Moderator: | William Maixner, DDS, PhD | ||
| Presenters: | Theodore John Price, PhD Toshihiro Kitamoto, PhD Luda Diatchenko, MD, PhD | ||
| Beyond the Messenger: Translational Regulation as a Novel Target for Pain Management William Maixner, DDS, PhD | |||
| Decreased mGluR-mediated nociceptive plasticity in a mouse model of Fragile X Mental Retardation Theodore J. Price, PhD | |||
| Possible involvement of microRNAs in chronic pain Toshihiro Kitamoto, PhD | |||
| COMT Modulation of Pain Sensitivity: Molecular Genetic Mechanism Luda Diatchenko, MD, PhD | |||
[Handout]
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