Expression of c-myc and c-fos oncogenes in different rat brain regions during postnatal development.
We have studied the expression of c-myc and c-fos proto-oncogenes in various areas of the central nervous system during postnatal development. c-myc mRNA levels increased during the first 5 days and then decreased over the next 15 days in all nervous regions studied. c-fos mRNA levels changed in a different way in four brain areas. While in cerebral cortex and cerebellum there was a sharp decrease during the first 10 days, in white matter and hypothalamus c-fos transcript levels remained high during the same period, decreasing at a later stage. Changes in oncogenes mRNA levels are related to various developmental events, such as neurite growth, myelination and cell proliferation. The dissimilar patterns of c-myc and c-fos expression suggests that they play different functions in CNS maturation. c-myc mRNA levels are temporally related to active neurite growth and to cell proliferation. Changes in c-fos mRNA correlate in time with early developmental processes and also with those occurring at later stages, such as myelination.
Parma
D L
DL
Cátedra de Genética y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, U.B.A., Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Benasayag
S J
SJ
Szijan
I
I
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development*; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology*; D016762:Genes, fos / Q000502:physiology*; D016259:Genes, myc / Q000502:physiology*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D012333:RNA, Messenger