Immediate-early genes and pain: What's all the “Fos” about?

T here are several reasons why immediateearly genes (lEGs) have sparked interest in the pain community. first studies suggested that by monitoring the expression of these genes, in response to noxious stimuli, it is possible to follow the activity of large populations of neurons tend to correlate these activity patterns with behavior . 1,3,7-1°'14'1e'17,19,21 larger and more fundamental question concerns the significance of increased lEG expression in adult, postmitotic neurons. authors write, The observation that nervous activity can alter gene transcription at first seemed paradoxical, as adult nerve cells do not undergo mitosis and normally do not show signs of growth. Why, then, should the nuclear transcription machinery and other processes related to nervous system development be activated by physiological nerve cell stimulation? Although recognizing that we do not yet know precisely what this long-lasting activation of means in relation to nociception and pain, they suggest that the emphasis on the beneficial functions of transcription control by external stimuli mediated by lEGs may be exaggerated. Rather, since clinical and experimental evidence overwhelmingly shows that any somatic trauma, lesion to the peripheral or central nervous system, or transient pain conditions can result in chronic pain and chronic nervous system disease the authors hypothesize that most of the changes related to chronic pain result from deregulated gene expression under conditions when are at work. Given that protein products of many transcriptionally regulate an enormous number of genes that