title: Narine occlusion decreases basal levels of Fos protein in the cerebral cortex of the lizard Podarcis hispanica.
abstract: Immunocytochemical study of cerebral cortex of the lizard Podarcis hispanica using an antibody directed to the M peptide of the rat c-Fos protein showed a distinct pattern of Fos distribution. Abundant Fos-immunoreactive neuronal nuclei were detected in the cell layers of the medial, the dorsal and the lateral cortices, whereas only a few nuclei were found in the cell layer of the dorsomedial cortex. The Fos immunoreactivity was characterized by Western blot analysis of nuclear extracts from lizard brain and showed a distinct band with an apparent molecular weight of 30,000. In band-shift assays, nuclear extracts from lizard brain were shown to contain AP-1 complexes. The basal expression of Fos immunoreactivity is related to sensory olfactory input in the cerebral cortex of the lizard since experiments with olfactory-deprived animals resulted in a complete absence of Fos immunoreactivity in the cortical areas.
authors.affiliation: Catedra de Citologia e Histologia, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidad de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Blasco-Ibañez
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Martinez-Guijarro
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lopez-Garcia
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mellström
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Naranjo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008116:Lizards / Q000378:metabolism*; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000502:physiology*; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000378:metabolism; D009833:Olfactory Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos