Tetrahydrocannabinol Reduces Hapten-Driven Mast Cell Accumulation and Persistent Tactile Sensitivity in Mouse Model of Allergen-Provoked Localized Vulvodynia.

Vulvodynia is a remarkably prevalent chronic pain condition of unknown etiology. An increase in numbers of vulvar mast cells often accompanies a clinical diagnosis of vulvodynia and a history of allergies amplifies the risk of developing this condition. We previously showed that repeated exposures to oxazolone dissolved in ethanol on the labiar skin of mice led to persistent genital sensitivity to pressure and a sustained increase in labiar mast cells. Here we sensitized female mice to the hapten dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) dissolved in saline on their flanks, and subsequently challenged them with the same hapten or saline vehicle alone for ten consecutive days either on labiar skin or in the vaginal canal. We evaluated tactile ano-genital sensitivity, and tissue inflammation at serial timepoints. DNFB-challenged mice developed significant, persistent tactile sensitivity. Allergic sites showed mast cell accumulation, infiltration of resident memory CD8+CD103+ T cells, early, localized increases in eosinophils and neutrophils, and sustained elevation of serum Immunoglobulin E (IgE). Therapeutic intra-vaginal administration of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) reduced mast cell accumulation and tactile sensitivity. Mast cell-targeted therapeutic strategies may therefore provide new ways to manage and treat vulvar pain potentially instigated by repeated allergenic exposures.

Nuclear corepressors NCOR1 and NCOR2 entrain thymocyte signaling, selection, and emigration.

T cell development proceeds via discrete stages that require both gene induction and gene repression. Transcription factors direct gene repression by associating with corepressor complexes containing chromatin-remodeling enzymes; the corepressors NCOR1 and NCOR2 recruit histone deacetylases to these complexes to silence transcription of target genes. Earlier work identified the importance of NCOR1 in promoting the survival of positively-selected thymocytes. Here, we used flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing to identify a broader role for NCOR1 and NCOR2 in regulating thymocyte development. Using Cd4-cre mice, we found that conditional deletion of NCOR2 had no effect on thymocyte development, whereas conditional deletion of NCOR1 had a modest effect. In contrast, Cd4-cre x Ncor1f/f x Ncor2f/f mice exhibited a significant block in thymocyte development at the DP to SP transition. Combined NCOR1/2 deletion resulted in increased signaling through the T cell receptor, ultimately resulting in elevated BIM expression and increased negative selection. The NF-κB, NUR77, and MAPK signaling pathways were also upregulated in the absence of NCOR1/2, contributing to altered CD4/CD8 lineage commitment, TCR rearrangement, and thymocyte emigration. Taken together, our data identify multiple critical roles for the combined action of NCOR1 and NCOR2 over the course of thymocyte development.