Regulation of proto-oncogene expression in adult and developing lungs.
Activation of immediate-early gene expression has been associated with mitogenesis, differentiation, nerve cell depolarization, and recently, terminal differentiation processes and programmed cell death. Previous evidence also suggested that immediate-early genes play a role in the physiology of the lungs (J. I. Morgan, D. R. Cohen, J. L. Hempstead, and T. Curran, Science 237:192-197, 1987). Therefore, we analyzed c-fos expression in adult and developing lung tissues. Seizures elicited by chemoconvulsants induced expression of mRNA for c-fos, c-jun, and junB and Fos-like immunoreactivity in lung tissue. The use of pharmacological antagonists and adrenalectomy indicated that this increased expression was neurogenic. Interestingly, by using a fos-lacZ transgenic mouse, it was shown that Fos-LacZ expression in response to seizure occurred preferentially in clusters of epithelial cells at the poles of the bronchioles. This was the same location of Fos-LacZ expression detected during early lung development. These data imply that pharmacological induction of immediate-early gene expression in adult mice recapitulates an embryological program of gene expression.
Molinar-Rode
R
R
Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Roche Research Center, Nutley, New Jersey 07110.
Smeyne
R J
RJ
Curran
T
T
Morgan
J I
JI
D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016762:Genes, fos; D016758:Genes, jun; D005865:Gestational Age; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009928:Organ Specificity; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000032:analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D001616:beta-Galactosidase