The current knowledge about heat nociception is mainly confined to the thermosensors, including the transient receptor potential cation channel V1 expressed in the nociceptive neurons of dorsal root ganglion (DRG). However, the loss of thermosensors only partially impairs heat nociception, suggesting the existence of undiscovered mechanisms. We found that the loss of an intracellular fibroblast growth factor (FGF), FGF13, in the mouse DRG neurons selectively abolished heat nociception. The noxious heat stimuli could not evoke the sustained action potential firing in FGF13-deficient DRG neurons. Furthermore, FGF13 interacted with the sodium channel Na1.7 in a heat-facilitated manner. FGF13 increased Na1.7 sodium currents and maintained the membrane localization of Na1.7 during noxious heat stimulation, enabling the sustained firing of action potentials. Disrupting the FGF13/Na1.7 interaction reduced the heat-evoked action potential firing and nociceptive behavior. Thus, beyond the thermosensors, the FGF13/Na1.7 complex is essential for sustaining the transmission of noxious heat signals.

The continuous cropping of plants can result in the disruption of the soil microbial community and caused significant declines in yields. However, there are few reports on the effects of continuous cropping of sugarcane on the microbial community structure and functional pathway. In the current study, we analyzed the structural and functional changes of microbial community structure in the rhizospheric soil of sugarcane in different continuous cropping years using Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing and metagenomics analysis. We collected rhizosphere soils from fields of no continuous cropping history (NCC), 10 years of continuous cropping (CC10), and 30 years of continuous cropping (CC30) periods in the Fujian province. The results demonstrated that continuous sugarcane cropping resulted in significant changes in the physicochemical properties of soil and the composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities. With the continuous cropping, the crop yield dramatically declined from NCC to CC30. Besides, the redundancy analysis (RDA) of the dominant bacterial and fungal phyla and soil physicochemical properties revealed that the structures of the bacterial and fungal communities were mainly driven by pH and TS. Analysis of potential functional pathways during the continuous cropping suggests that different KEGG pathways were enriched in different continuous cropping periods. The significant reduction of bacteria associated with rhizospheric soil nitrogen and sulfur cycling functions and enrichment of pathogenic bacteria may be responsible for the reduction of effective nitrogen and total sulfur content in rhizospheric soil of continuous sugarcane as well as the reduction of sugarcane yield and sugar content. Additionally, genes related to nitrogen and sulfur cycling were identified in our study, and the decreased abundance of nitrogen translocation genes and AprAB and DsrAB in the dissimilatory sulfate reduction pathway could be the cause of declined biomass. The findings of this study may provide a theoretical basis for uncovering the mechanism of obstacles in continuous sugarcane cropping and provide better guidance for sustainable development of the sugarcane.

Background Inflammation of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) may contribute to low back pain, postherpetic neuralgia, and neuropathic pain. The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) plays a pro-inflammatory role in many non-renal tissues, but its role in peripheral pain at the DRG level is not well studied. Methods Local inflammation of the L5 DRG with the immune activator zymosan rapidly leads to mechanical hypersensitivity and increased excitability of sensory neurons. Using this pain model, we applied the MR antagonist eplerenone locally to the inflamed DRG. Excitability of small diameter sensory neurons was examined in acute primary culture, using patch clamp techniques. Results Local eplerenone significantly reduced the mechanical hypersensitivity and shortened its duration. The same dose was ineffective systemically. Immunohistochemical studies showed the MR was present in most neurons, and rapidly translocated to the nucleus 1 day after local DRG inflammation. Activation of satellite glia (defined by expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein) in the inflamed DRG was also reduced by local eplerenone. Increased excitability of small diameter sensory neurons 1 day after inflammation could be observed in vitro. Eplerenone applied in vitro (8 – 12 hours) could reverse this increased excitability. Eplerenone had no effect in neurons isolated from normal, uninflamed DRG. The MR agonist aldosterone (10 nM) applied in vitro increased excitability of neurons isolated from normal DRG. Conclusions The MR may have a pro-nociceptive role in the DRG. Some of its effects may be mediated by neuronal MR. The MR may represent a novel therapeutic target in some pain syndromes.