Solomon H. Snyder Professor of Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery Department, School of Medicine
Director, Neurosurgery Pain Research Institute
Director, Biological Chemistry Department
RESEARCH OVERVIEW
Our laboratory studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the perception of pain under healthy conditions and in the setting of pathology. Towards this goal, we utilize a wide spectrum of approaches including behavioral analysis, in vivo and in vitro imaging and electrophysiology, genome editing, image analysis, transcriptomics, biochemistry, and cell biology. One topic of study is the identification of mechanisms underlying pain in a diverse collection of rare hereditary skin conditions known as palmoplantar keratodermas. These conditions, characterized by epidermal thickening on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, exhibit variable prevalence of pain that can significantly impact quality of life. A second topic that we study is how injured and uninjured neurons interact and change their behavior following a peripheral nerve injury, and how these changes relate to neuropathic pain. A third area of focus is on the role of RNA binding proteins as regulators of the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Finally, we are using synthetic biology approaches to re-engineer signal transduction pathways in order to convert signals that would have promoted pain into analgesic signals.
Cell Biology | Cellular Stress and Cell Signaling | Translational Research
Selected Publications
Jeon SM, Chang D, Geske A, Ginty DD, Caterina MJ. Sex-Dependent Reduction in Mechanical Allodynia in the Sural-Sparing Nerve Injury Model in Mice Lacking Merkel Cells. Journal of Neuroscience, 2021.
Wang L, Jiang X, Zheng Q, Jeon SM, Chen T, Liu Y, Kulaga H, Reed R, Dong X, Caterina MJ, Qu L. Neuronal FcγRI mediates acute and chronic joint pain. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2019.
Weinberg RL, Coulombe PA, Polydefkis M, Caterina MJ. Pain mechanisms in hereditary palmoplantar keratodermas. British Journal of Dermatology, 2019.
Pan B, Byrnes K, Schwartz M, Hansen CD, Campbell CM, Krupiczojc M, Caterina MJ, Polydefkis M. Peripheral neuropathic changes in pachyonychia congenita. Pain, 2016.
Pang Z, Sakamoto T, Tiwari V, Kim YS, Yang F, Dong X, Güler AD, Guan Y, Caterina MJ. Selective keratinocyte stimulation is sufficient to evoke nociception in mice. Pain, 2015.