The invention relates to the use of: (a) an isolated gene sequence that is down-regulated in the spinal cord of a mammal in response to mechanistically distinct first and second models of neuropath ic or central sensitization pain; (b) an isolated gene sequence comprising a nucleic acid sequence of any of Tables I to VI; (c) an isolated gene sequence having at least 80% sequence identity with a nucleic acid sequence of any of Tables I to VI; (d) an isolated nucleic acid sequence that is hybridizable to any of the gen e sequences according to (a), (b) or (c) under stringent hybridisation conditions; (e) a recombinant vector comprising a gene sequence or nucleic acid sequence according to any one of (a) to (d); (f) a host cell containing the vector according to (e); (g) a non-human animal having in its genome an introduced gene sequence or nucleic acid sequence or a removed or down-regulated gene sequence or nucleic acid sequence according to any one of (a) to (d); (h) an isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 90% identical to an amino acid sequence encoded by a nucleotide sequence according to any one of (a) to (d), or a variant polypeptide thereof with sequential amino acid deletions from the C terminus and/or the N-terminus; (i) an isolated polypeptide encoded by anucleotide sequence according to any one of (a) to (d); or (j) an isolated antibody that binds specifically to a polypeptide according to (h) or (i); in the screening of compounds for the treatment of pain, or for the diagnosi s of pain. The invention also relates to the use of naturally occurring compounds such as peptide ligands of the expression products of the above gene sequences and their associated signal transduction pathways for use in the treatment of pain.</S DOAB>
IDENTIFICATION AND USE OF MOLECULES IMPLICATED IN PAIN