Protein kinase C gamma-mediated phosphorylation of GluA1 in the postsynaptic density of spinal dorsal horn neurons accompanies neuropathic pain, and dephosphorylation by calcineurin is associated with prolonged analgesia.

Loss of calcineurin (protein phosphatase 3) activity and protein content in the postsynaptic density (PSD) of spinal dorsal horn neurons was associated with pain behavior after chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the rat sciatic nerve, and intrathecal administration of the phosphatase provided prolonged analgesia (Miletic et al. 2013). In this study, we examined whether one consequence of the loss of calcineurin was the persistent phosphorylation of the GluA1 subunit of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropioinic acid (AMPAR) receptors in the PSD.