Prof John N Wood, Molecular Nociception Group

Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK

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Research Focus

The Molecular Nociception Group focuses on genetic approaches to understanding the biology of damage-sensing neurons, somatosensation, pain and touch The past decade has seen a revolution in our understanding of the receptor systems and regulatory pathways that underlie the responses of these specialised cells to the occurrence of tissue damage. This has important implications for human health and disease.

Our group combines recombinant DNA technology, electrophysiology and gene targeting and behavioural approaches to explore the channels, receptors, transcription factors and regulatory pathways that control nociceptor excitability. UCL provides an exciting environment for basic neuroscience and clinical interactions.

We collaborate with research groups in Europe, the United States, Korea, Japan and Australia, using transgenic mouse models, natural products and cloned genes to explore the physiology of pain perception. The systems we study have a broad relevance to understanding how the nervous system works, in terms of synaptic plasticity, responses to environmental stimuli and sensation and behaviour.

Prof. John N Wood is head of the Molecular Nociception Group and a member of the London Pain Consortium.

Click here to contact Prof. Wood for further information

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Some recent publications

Lau J, Minett MS, Zhao J, Dennehy U, Wang F, Wood JN, Bogdanov YD. Temporal control of gene deletion in sensory ganglia using a tamoxifen-inducible Advillin-Cre-ERT2 recombinase mouse. Mol Pain. 2011 Dec 21;7:100. PMID:22188729 Wood JN, Eijkelkamp N. Noxious mechanosensation - molecules and circuits. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2012 Feb;12(1):4-8. Epub 2011 Nov 3. PMID: 22056025

Weiss J, Pyrski M, Jacobi E, Bufe B, Willnecker V, Schick B, Zizzari P, Gossage SJ, Greer CA, Leinders-Zufall T, Woods CG, Wood JN, Zufall F. Loss-of-function mutations in sodium channel Nav1.7 cause anosmia. Nature 2011 Apr 14;472(7342):186-90. Epub 2011 Mar 23. PMID: 21441906

Lagerström MC, Rogoz K, Abrahamsen B, Lind AL, Olund C, Smith C, Mendez JA, Wallén-Mackenzie Å, Wood JN, Kullander K. A sensory subpopulation depends on vesicular glutamate transporter 2 for mechanical pain, and together with substance P, inflammatory pain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Apr 5;108(14):5789-94. Epub 2011 Mar 17. PMID: 21415372

Liu M, Oh U, Wood JN. From transduction to pain sensation: defining genes, cells, and circuits. Pain. 2011 Mar;152(3 Suppl):S16-9. Epub 2011 Jan 26. Review. No abstract available. PMID: 21272998

Zhao J, Yuan G, Cendan CM, Nassar MA, Lagerström MC, Kullander K, Gavazzi I, Wood JN. Nociceptor-expressed ephrin-B2 regulates inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Mol Pain. 2010 Nov 8;6:77. PMID: 21059214

Raouf R, Quick K, Wood JN. Pain as a channelopathy. J Clin Invest. 2010 Nov;120(11):3745-52. PMID 21041956

Lagerström MC, Rogoz K, Abrahamsen B, Persson E, Reinius B, Nordenankar K, Olund C, Smith C, Mendez JA, Chen ZF, Wood JN, Wallén-Mackenzie A, Kullander K. VGLUT2-dependent sensory neurons in the TRPV1 population regulate pain and itch. Neuron. 2010 Nov 4;68(3):529-42 PMID:21040852

Wood JN. Nerve growth factor and pain. N Engl J Med. 2010 Oct 14;363(16):1572-3 . PMID: 20942675

Eijkelkamp N, Wang H, Garza-Carbajal A, Willemen HL, Zwartkruis FJ, Wood JN, Dantzer R, Kelley KW, Heijnen CJ, Kavelaars A. Low nociceptor GRK2 prolongs prostaglandin E2 hyperalgesia via biased cAMP signaling to Epac/Rap1, protein kinase Cepsilon, and MEK/ERK. J Neurosci. 2010 Sep 22;30(38):12806-15. PMID: 20861385

Zhao J, Lee MC, Momin A, Cendan CM, Shepherd ST, Baker MD, Asante C, Bee L, Bethry A, Perkins JR, Nassar MA, Abrahamsen B, Dickenson A, Cobb BS, Merkenschlager M, Wood JN. Small RNAs control sodium channel expression, nociceptor excitability, and pain thresholds. J Neurosci. 2010 Aug 11;30(32):10860-71. PMID: 20702715,

Kremeyer B, Lopera F, Cox JJ, Momin A, Rugiero F, Marsh S, Woods CG, Jones NG, Paterson KJ, Fricker FR, Villegas A, Acosta N, Pineda-Trujillo NG, Ramírez JD, Zea J, Burley MW, Bedoya G, Bennett DL, Wood JN, Ruiz-Linares A. A gain-of-function mutation in TRPA1 causes familial episodic pain syndrome. Neuron. 2010 Jun 10;66(5):671-80. PMID: 20547126

Golden JP, Hoshi M, Nassar MA, Enomoto H, Wood JN, Milbrandt J, Gereau RW 4th, Johnson EM Jr, Jain S. RET signaling is required for survival and normal function of nonpeptidergic nociceptors. J Neurosci. 2010 Mar 17;30(11):3983-94. PMID: 20237269

Eijkelkamp N, Heijnen CJ, Willemen HL, Deumens R, Joosten EA, Kleibeuker W, den Hartog IJ, van Velthoven CT, Nijboer C, Nassar MA, Dorn GW 2nd, Wood JN, Kavelaars A. GRK2: a novel cell-specific regulator of severity and duration of inflammatory pain.J Neurosci. 2010 Feb 10;30(6):2138-49. PMID: 20147541

Cregg R, Momin A, Rugiero F, Wood JN, Zhao J. Pain channelopathies. J Physiol. 2010 Jun 1;588(Pt 11):1897-904. Epub 2010 Feb 8. PMID: 20142270

Chambers JC, Zhao J, Terracciano CM, Bezzina CR, Zhang W, Kaba R, Navaratnarajah M, Lotlikar A, Sehmi JS, Kooner MK, Deng G, Siedlecka U, Parasramka S, El-Hamamsy I, Wass MN, Dekker LR, de Jong JS, Sternberg MJ, McKenna W, Severs NJ, de Silva R, Wilde AA, Anand P, Yacoub M, Scott J, Elliott P, Wood JN, Kooner JS. Genetic variation in SCN10A influences cardiac conduction. Nat Genet. 2010 Feb;42(2):149-52. Epub 2010 Jan 10. PMID: 20062061

Rugiero F, Drew LJ, Wood JN. Kinetic properties of mechanically activated currents in spinal sensory neurons. J Physiol. 2010 Jan 15;588(Pt 2):301-14. Epub 2009 Nov 30.PMID: 19948656

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Molecular Nociception Group, last updated 29/02/2012