Inhibitions and Down-Regulation of Motor Protein Eg5 Expression in Primary Sensory Neurons Reveal a Novel Therapeutic Target for Pathological Pain

The motor protein Eg5, known as kif11 or kinesin-5, interacts with adjacent microtubules in the mitotic spindle and plays essential roles in cell division, yet the function of Eg5 in mature postmitotic neurons remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the contribution and molecular mechanism of Eg5 in pathological pain. Pharmacological inhibition of Eg5 and a specific shRNA-expressing viral vector reversed complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)-induced pain and abrogated vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (VR1) expression in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. In the dorsal root, Eg5 inhibition promoted VR1 axonal transport and decreased VR1 expression. In the spinal cord, Eg5 inhibition suppressed VR1 expression in axon terminals and impaired synapse formation in superficial laminae I/II. Finally, we showed that Eg5 is necessary for PI3K/Akt signalling-mediated VR1 membrane trafficking and pathological pain. The present study provides compelling evidence of a noncanonical function of Eg5 in primary sensory neurons. These results suggest that Eg5 may be a potential therapeutic target for intractable pain.