Fig. 1: DOCK4 is expressed in sensory neurons and decreases under conditions of pathological pain. | Nature Communications

Fig. 1: DOCK4 is expressed in sensory neurons and decreases under conditions of pathological pain.

From: Histone lactylation regulates DOCK4 to control heat nociception and supports Dynein-mediated Nav1.7 trafficking

Fig. 1: DOCK4 is expressed in sensory neurons and decreases under conditions of pathological pain.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

a To identify common mechanisms and targets for different types of pathological pain, we established four pain models. We then collected L4-L6 DRG tissues from mice with pathological pain for RNA-seq analysis. (Created in BioRender. https://BioRender.com/xs51blc). b The expression of the three genes Dock4, Afmid, and Rpl15-ps3 was simultaneously decreased in the L4-L6 DRGs tissue of mice across the SNL, CFA, PTX, and LLC models. n = 3 samples per group. c Compared with naïve mice, the fold decrease of Dock4, Afmid, and Rpl15-ps3 in the L4-L6 DRGs of mice after SNL, CFA, PTX, and LLC treatment. d–g The mRNA expression of Dock4 in L4-L6 DRG tissues of SNL (Day 7), CFA (Day 3), PTX (Day 7) and LLC (Day 14) mice. n = 3 samples per group in d; n = 4 samples per group in e, f and g. t4 = 5.643, P = 0.0049 in d; t6 = 5.52, P = 0.0015 in e; t6 = 3.451, P = 0.0136 in f; t6 = 3.22, P = 0.0181 in (g). h–k The DOCK4 protein expression in L4-L6 DRG tissues of SNL (Day 7), CFA (Day 3), PTX (Day 7) and LLC (Day 14) mice. n = 3 samples per group. t4 = 4.58, P = 0.0102 in h; t4 = 3.169, P = 0.0339 in i; t4 = 6.461, P = 0.003 in j; t4 = 5.52, P = 0.0053 in k. l The expression abundance of the DOCK4 protein in sciatic nerve (SN), L4-L6 DRGs, and L4-L6 dorsal root (DR) tissues of Dock4WT (Dock4flox/flox) and AvCreERT2; Dock4CKO mice. m The immunostaining and in situ hybridization showed that DOCK4 protein and corresponding mRNA were expressed in most L4 DRG neurons of mice. Compared to Dock4WT mice, the lack of DOCK4 in the DRG of AvCreERT2; Dock4CKO mice following tamoxifen injection indicates the high specificity of both the DOCK4 antibody and probe. Scale bar, 100 μm. n, o Double immunostaining of DOCK4 with IB4, CGRP and NF200 in the L4 DRG and sciatic nerve of mice. Scale bar, left 100 μm, right 25 μm. d–k Two-tailed Independent Student’s t test. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Complete sample size and sex is provided in the Supplementary Data. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

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