Confinia Cephalalgica
Trigeminal ganglion neurons lack detectable GLP-1 receptor expression: a cross-species single-cell transcriptomic study
By Lanfranco Pellesi and Lars Edvinsson.
Abstract
Background
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are accumulating signals of potential benefit in headache disorders, but the cellular locus of any anti-cephalalgic action is unknown. A direct effect on the trigeminovascular system would require GLP1R to be expressed by cells of the trigeminal ganglion (TG), and we therefore investigated whether GLP1R is expressed by TG neurons or non-neuronal cells.
Methods
We reanalysed public single-cell/single-nucleus transcriptomic data from mouse and human TG, quantifying GLP1R detection per cell type with exact binomial 95% confidence intervals (CIs). GLP1R and the second incretin receptor GIPR were benchmarked against validated G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug targets and nociceptor markers, and GLP1R detection was verified in pancreatic islets, where it is expressed.