WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new study led by Professor Roberta Gualdani at the University of Louvain in Brussels has explored the role of a protein called TRPV4 in itch caused by physical touch.
TRPV4 is a type of ion channel, which is a tiny 'gates' found in nerve cells that opens and closes to allow signals to pass through. These channels help the body sense things like temperature, pressure, and stress on tissues. Scientists already knew that TRPV4 plays a role in sensing touch, but its connection to itching, especially long-lasting or chronic itching, was not clear till now.
'We were initially studying TRPV4 in the context of pain,' Gualdani noted. 'But instead of a pain phenotype, what emerged very clearly was a disruption of itch, specifically, how scratching behavior is regulated.'
To better understand this, researchers created a special mouse model where TRPV4 was removed only from sensory nerve cells. In contrast to earlier studies, which removed this protein from the entire body, making it difficult to know exactly where it was working.
Using advanced tools to study nerve activity and behavior, the team found that TRPV4 is present in touch-sensitive nerve cells and in some nerve cells linked to itch and pain.
When researchers created a skin condition in mice similar to eczema (atopic dermatitis), they noticed that mice without TRPV4 in their nerve cells scratched less often, but when they did scratch, it lasted much longer than usual. This suggests that TRPV4 does not simply cause itching. Instead, it seems to help the body know when to stop scratching.
Normally, it sends a signal to the brain and spinal cord saying that enough scratching has happened and relief has been achieved. Without this signal, the feeling of relief is reduced, causing scratching to continue for longer.
'When we scratch an itch, at some point we stop because there's a negative feedback signal that tells us we're satisfied,' Gualdani explained. 'Without TRPV4, the mice don't feel this feedback, so they continue scratching much longer than normal.'
The study also showed that TRPV4 works differently depending on where it is in the body. In skin cells, it may trigger itching, but in nerve cells, it may help control and limit it. The researchers believe that this new understanding could be important for developing better treatments for chronic itch conditions in the future.
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