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Comments: "Bacteria activate sensory neurons that modulate pain and inflammation"

August 21, 2013

Here are some of the comments made about our work "Bacteria activate sensory neurons that modulate pain and inflammation":

Nature
Terminal fibres of peripheral afferent nociceptors express receptors that allow direct activation of these neurons by host-derived formyl peptides and possibly HSPs and HMGB1 released from injured tissues and by bacterial products (lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is detected by TLR4; formyl peptides are detected by FPR1; and staphylococcal α-toxin is detected by ADAM10). Chiu and colleagues' data suggest1 that in addition to transducing a pain signal to the central nervous system through dorsal root ganglion neurons (yellow arrows), this stimulation might elicit antidromic action potentials (red arrows) that prompt the release of bioactive peptides such as substance P, CGRP, galanin and somatostatin. The antidromic signalling modulates the local inflammatory response. (Full version: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12550)