Elevated glutamate levels within injured muscle play important roles in muscle pain and hyperalgesia. In this study, we hypothesized that PKC-dependent TRPV1 phosphorylation contributes to the muscle mechanical hyperalgesia following activation of Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu1/5). Mechanical hyperalgesia induced by dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG), an mGlu1/5 agonist, in the masseter muscle was attenuated by AMG9810, a specific TRPV1 antagonist. AMG9810 also suppressed mechanical hyperalgesia evoked by pharmacological activation of PKC. DHPG-induced mechanical hyperalgesia was suppressed by pretreatment with a decoy peptide that disrupted interactions between TRPV1 and A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP), which facilitates phosphorylation of TRPV1. In dissociated trigeminal ganglia (TG), DHPG upregulated serine phosphorylation of TRPV1 (S800) during which DHPG-induced mechanical hyperalgesia was prominent. The TRPV1 phosphorylation at S800 was suppressed by a PKC inhibitor. Electrophysiological measurements in TG neurons demonstrated that TRPV1 sensitivity was enhanced by pretreatment with DHPG, and this was prevented by a PKC, but not by a PKA, inhibitor. These results suggest that mGlu1/5 activation in masseter afferents invoke phosphorylation of TRPV1 serine residues including S800, and that phosphorylation-induced sensitization of TRPV1 is involved in masseter mechanical hyperalgesia. These data support a role of TRPV1 as an integrator of glutamate receptor signaling in muscle nociceptors.
PERSPECTIVE
This article demonstrates that activation of mGlu1/5 leads to phosphorylation of a specific TRPV1 residue via PKC and AKAP150 in trigeminal sensory neurons, and that functional interactions between glutamate receptors and TRPV1 mediate mechanical hyperalgesia in the muscle tissue.