Neuronal Receptor VR1 Involved in Immune Cell Function
Mar 30, 2005 - 6:45:00 AM
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In a previous study, Basu and Srivastava observed that heat stimulates DCs to mature, and they hypothesized that these immune cells also detect heat via the VR1 receptor pathway. In the current study, the researchers demonstrate that immature DCs in mice express the VR1 receptor.
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By Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
[RxPG] Sreyashi Basu and Pramod Srivastava report that capsaicin, the spicy component of chili peppers, induces maturation in dendritic cells (DCs), key antigen-presenting cells of the immune system. In the nervous system, capsaicin and thermal heat work in a similar manner by activating the vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1) receptor on sensory neurons, explaining why capsaicin elicits a burning sensation.
In a previous study, Basu and Srivastava observed that heat stimulates DCs to mature, and they hypothesized that these immune cells also detect heat via the VR1 receptor pathway. In the current study, the researchers demonstrate that immature DCs in mice express the VR1 receptor.
When the immature DCs were treated with capsaicin to activate VR1, the DCs matured, as measured by up-regulation of antigen-presenting molecules. To test the functionality of VR1, the researchers exposed DCs from VR1+/+ and VR1/ mice to either capsaicin or heat (41°C). DCs from VR1+/+ mice matured when exposed to heat or capsaicin, whereas DCs from VR1/ mice matured in response to heat alone. Furthermore, injection of capsaicin into the skin caused DCs to migrate to draining lymph nodes in VR1+/+ mice but not VR1/ mice. These data indicate that VR1 is not responsible for heat-induced maturation of DCs, but that capsaicin affects DC activity via VR1, demonstrating a common mechanistic pathway between neural and immune functions.
Publication:
"Immunological role of neuronal receptor vanilloid receptor 1 expressed on dendritic cells" by Sreyashi Basu and Pramod Srivastava
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
PNAS is one of the world's most-cited multidisciplinary scientific serials. Since its establishment in 1914, it continues to publish cutting-edge research reports, commentaries, reviews, perspectives, colloquium papers, and actions of the Academy. Coverage in PNAS spans the biological, physical, and social sciences. PNAS is published weekly in print, and daily online in PNAS Early Edition. The PNAS impact factor is 10.3 for 2003. PNAS is available by subscription.
PNAS is abstracted and/or indexed in: Index Medicus, PubMed Central, Current Contents, Medline, SPIN, JSTOR, ISI Web of Science, and BIOSIS.
Please note that the articles in PNAS report original research by independent authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Academy of Sciences or the National Research Council.
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