INTRODUCTION Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is considered a major underlying factor in the pathogenesis of chronic low back pain. Although the healthy IVD is both avascular and aneural, during degeneration there is ingrowth of nociceptive nerve fibres and blood vessels into proximal regions of the IVD, which may contribute to the pain. The mechanisms underlying neural ingrowth are, howe...

PURPOSE Semaphorins comprise a family of molecules that influence the growth and guidance of neuronal processes. Class-3 semaphorins are secreted proteins, and their effects are mediated by neuropilin (NP) and plexin (Plx) receptors. There is considerable information on mechanisms that influence axonal guidance and plasticity in the mammalian visual system, but a role for semaphorins has receiv...

Neurotrophins and semaphorin 3A are present along pathways and in targets of developing axons of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons. Growth cones of sensory axons are probably regulated by interaction of cytoplasmic signaling triggered coincidentally by both types of guidance molecules. We investigated the in vitro interactions of neurotrophins and semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) in modulating g...

Vascular sympathetic innervation is an important determinant of blood pressure and blood flow. The mechanisms that determine vascular sympathetic innervation are not well understood. Recent studies indicate that vascular endothelial cells (EC) express semaphorin 3A, a repulsive axon guidance cue. This suggests that EC would inhibit the growth of axons to blood vessels. The present study tests t...

Dietary sphingolipids such as glucosylceramide (GlcCer) are potential nutritional factors associated with prevention of metabolic syndrome. Our current understanding is that dietary GlcCer is degraded to ceramide and further metabolized to sphingoid bases in the intestine. However, ceramide is only found in trace amounts in food plants and thus is frequently taken as GlcCer in a health suppleme...