title: FOS and JUN as markers for ethanol-sensitive pathways in the rat brain.
abstract: The expression of proteins coded by the immediate early genes of the fos family and c-jun was used to study the effect of acute ethanol administration on convulsant-induced neuronal activity in rat brain. Immunoreactivity for both types of protein was induced by either SC injection of pentylenetetrazole or by IP injection of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid. Both agents elicited distinct patterns of behaviour and a high level of FOS-immunoreactivity in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Acute IP doses of ethanol (1.0-3.0 g/kg) significantly reduced the behaviours and FOS-immunoreactivity induced in the cerebral cortex by both pentylenetetrazole and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid. Pentylenetetrazole-induced FOS-immunoreactivity in the hippocampus was also inhibited by ethanol. In contrast, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid-induced FOS-immunoreactivity in the hippocampus was not inhibited by any dose of ethanol. c-JUN immunoreactivity showed a distinct pattern of induction in the hippocampus after injection of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid. Ethanol (3.0 g/kg) inhibited N-methyl-D-aspartic acid-induced c-JUN-immunoreactivity in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. The differences in inhibition of immunoreactivity suggest that the sensitivity of the NMDA- and GABAA-related neuronal pathways to ethanol varies among different anatomical structures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Shanley
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Wilce
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016758:Genes, jun / Q000187:drug effects*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D000431:Ethanol