The immediate-early genes c-fos and c-jun are differentially expressed in the rat adrenal gland after capsaicin treatment.
In situ hybridization histochemistry was used to study the expression of c-fos and c-jun mRNA in the rat adrenal gland of untreated and capsaicin treated rats. In untreated animals, very low levels of c-fos mRNA were present both in zona fasciculata and reticulata of the adrenal cortex, with no detectable labelling in the zona glomerulosa or adrenal medulla. In contrast, the levels of c-jun mRNA were high in the cortical layers fasciculata and reticulata, again without labelling in the zona glomerulosa or adrenal medulla. After capsaicin (25 mg/kg, s.c.), a rapid increase in both c-fos and c-jun mRNA levels was observed in adrenal medulla. Capsaicin also induced an increase in c-fos mRNA levels in all 3 cortical layers, especially in the zona glomerulosa, whereas only small changes in c-jun mRNA levels were seen in zona fasciculata and reticulata. The present results indicate that c-fos and c-jun mRNA levels are both increased in the adrenal gland after capsaicin treatment, although the time course, magnitude and regional distribution of these increases differed for the two mRNAs.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Tampere, Finland.
M
M
Pelto-Huikko
A
A
Dagerlind
S
S
Ceccatelli
T
T
Hökfelt
D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002211:Capsaicin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000235:genetics*; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014157:Transcription Factors
D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; D002211:Capsaicin