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Neuroimmunology

Macrophages set the bar for acute pain sensitivity

A serendipitous behavioral observation in a mouse line led to the discovery that macrophages modulate acute pain. The macrophage-derived protein SNX25 sets the threshold for acute pain through tonic NGF signaling to cutaneous sensory neurons.

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Fig. 1: Macrophages contribute to nociception through different mechanisms at steady state or during inflammation.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by US National Institutes of Health (NIH) R35 NS105076 (C.J.W.) and NIH F31NS127357-01 (S.H.).

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Correspondence to Clifford J. Woolf.

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C.J.W. is a founder of Nocion, Quralis and Blackbox Bio. S.H. declares no conflicts of interest.

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Hakim, S., Woolf, C.J. Macrophages set the bar for acute pain sensitivity. Nat Immunol 24, 382–384 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01438-9

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