Longitudinal RNA sequencing of skin and DRG neurons in mice with paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy

Paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy is a significant problem, which afflicts up to 70% of chemotherapy patients. Therapeutic interventions are currently unavailable due to an incomplete understanding of the underlying mechanisms. We previously discovered a major target in the skin, MMP-13, which underlies the development of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy in zebrafish and rodents. To better understand gene expression changes in sensory neurons and target tissue prior to and during the progression of neuropathy, we performed longitudinal RNA sequencing of mouse skin and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Samples were harvested at time points associated with behavioural responses following injection of mice for 7 days either with vehicle or paclitaxel. The responses were categorized into pain onset (day 4 of paclitaxel injection), maxima (d7), beginning of pain resolution (d11) and recovery phase (d23). This dataset will be useful to understand changes in gene regulation in both neurons and skin, which can aid in the discovery of therapeutic interventions. Overall design: Paclitaxel or vehicle was administered on days 0, 2, 4 & 6 and samples were isolated from 4 mice at each of 4 different timepoints corresponding to pain onset, peak response, pain resolution, and recovery. [n = 16 per treatment]