Fig. 10: Molecular cross-talking networks between primary sensory afferent from DRG neurons and spinal dorsal horn.

a Schematic representation of the complex interactions between primary sensory afferent and various cell types in the spinal dorsal horn, including neurons, microglia, astrocytes, and others. In addition to synaptic transmission, this illustration highlights the intricate network of molecular interactions contributing to pain processing and transmission in the SC. Created with BioRender. b Circle plot representation of an inferred network with the weighted strength of cell interactions from DRG to SC calculated by Cellchat in sham (left) and PNI (right) groups. Node colors indicate cell types, while size corresponds to cell number. Edge thickness reflects interaction strength, with thicker lines indicating stronger interactions. c Injured DRG communicates with SC through the Csf1_Csf1r pathway. The t-SNE plot of DRG cells visualizes the expression of Csf1, and lines indicate potential communication strength with SC ST-spots. A spatial plot on the far right shows Csf1r expression in SC. Additionally, t-SNE and violin plots of SC cells display the expression feature of Csf1r across different cell types. d Similarly, injured DRG communicates with SC via the Tgfb1_Tgfbr1 pathway. The t-SNE plot of DRG cells illustrates the expression of Tgfb1, with lines indicating potential communication strength with SC ST-spots. The far-right spatial plot shows the Tgfbr1 expression in SC. Furthermore, t-SNE and violin plots of SC cells showcase the expression feature of Tgfbr1. e Representative RNA scope imaging showing Tgfb1 mRNA expression on DRG from sham and SNL mice illustrates upregulation in injured DRG neurons (ATF3 positive). Scale bar = 100 μm. f Representative RNA scope imaging demonstrated a specific upregulation of Tgfbr1 mRNA expression in microglia, as indicated by IBA-1 staining, within the ipsilateral SC of mice subjected to SNL, compared to the contralateral side and sham. Scale bar = 200 μm.