Genome Res. doi:10.1101/gr.104976.110 (2010)

Nerve damage such as that caused by surgery can result in chronic pain, but the factors controlling its severity are largely unknown.

After years of genetic mapping, Ariel Darvasi of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel and his colleagues have isolated a gene that seems to contribute to chronic pain in a mouse model of human disorders such as phantom limb pain, which is often experienced by amputees. The gene, Cacng2, encodes a protein believed to interact with neuronal receptors.

A seizure-prone mouse strain known as stargazer with a mutation in this gene has, the researchers found, a high propensity for neuropathic pain. In humans, the team found variations in the CACNG2 genetic region that are associated with chronic pain after mastectomy.