The Role Of Muscleblind In Nociception In Drosophila Melanogaster

Chronic pain affects more than 50 million U.S. adults and has an annual economic impact upwards of $650 billion. Chronic pain is commonly treated with opioids that momentarily reduce pain sensation but can be highly addicting and may not offer a long-term solution to the pain. Further understanding of the regulatory processes behind sensory neuron sensitivity is important for the development of more effective clinical treatments for chronic pain. The goal of this research is to further the understanding of the roles RNA-binding proteins, specifically muscleblind, play in the regulation of nociceptor sensitivity. Recent research has demonstrated that mbl knockdown in nociceptors of Drosophila melanogaster results in morphological defects to nociceptor dendrites, and preliminary data suggests nociceptor-specific mbl knockdown decreases nociceptive response to noxious thermal stimulus. In this project, nociceptor specific mbl knockdown Drosophila melanogaster larvae were constructed and used to confirm mbl functions in thermal nociceptive response and nociceptor dendrite morphology. Following confirmation, several known downstream effectors of mbl were analyzed and results suggest potential roles for Dystrophin, and Dystroglycan, as well as a-actinin in thermal nociceptor sensitivity.