Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor subtype-2 antagonists (Weill Medical College of Cornell University)

Previously we demonstrated that sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) played a prominent, but not exclusive, role in enhancing the excitability of small-diameter sensory neurons, suggesting that other S1PRs can modulate neuronal excitability. To examine the potential role of S1PR2in regulating neuronal excitability we used the established selective antagonist of S1PR2, JTE-013. Here we report that exposure to JTE-013 alone produced a significant increase in excitability in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in 70–80% of recorded neurons. Internal perfusion of sensory neurons with guanosine 5′- O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (GDP-β-S) via the recording pipette inhibited the sensitization produced by JTE-013 as well as prostaglandin E2. Pretreatment with pertussis toxin or the selective S1PR1antagonist W146 blocked the sensitization produced by JTE-013. These results indicate that JTE-013 might act as an agonist at other G protein-coupled receptors. In neurons that were sensitized by JTE-013, single-cell RT-PCR studies demonstrated that these neurons did not express the mRNA for S1PR2. In behavioral studies, injection of JTE-013 into the rat's hindpaw produced a significant increase in the mechanical sensitivity in the ipsilateral, but not contralateral, paw. Injection of JTE-013 did not affect the withdrawal latency to thermal stimulation. Thus JTE-013 augments neuronal excitability independently of S1PR2by unknown mechanisms that may involve activation of other G protein-coupled receptors such as S1PR1. Clearly, further studies are warranted to establish the causal nature of this increased sensitivity, and future studies of neuronal function using JTE-013 should be interpreted with caution.