Tissue plasminogen activator induction in Purkinje neurons after cerebellar motor learning.
The cerebellar cortex is implicated in the learning of complex motor skills. This learning may require synaptic remodeling of Purkinje cell inputs. An extracellular serine protease, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), is involved in remodeling various nonneural tissues and is associated with developing and regenerating neurons. In situ hybridization showed that expression of tPA messenger RNA was increased in the Purkinje neurons of rats within an hour of their being trained for a complex motor task. Antibody to tPA also showed the induction of tPA protein associated with cerebellar Purkinje cells. Thus, the induction of tPA during motor learning may play a role in activity-dependent synaptic plasticity.
Neuroscience Program, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262, USA.
N W
NW
Seeds
B L
BL
Williams
P C
PC
Bickford
D000818:Animals; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000201:enzymology; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000201:enzymology*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator