title: Plasticity of tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression within BALB/C and C57Black/6 mouse locus coeruleus.
abstract: The plasticity of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) phenotype in the locus coeruleus (LC) of two pure inbred strains of mice, Balb/C (C) and C57Black/6 (B6), was investigated at the molecular level by radioactive in situ hybridization. The results demonstrated that in basal conditions, C mouse LC contains less TH-mRNA-expressing cells than B6. After RU 24722-treatment, which induces long lasting TH gene expression in the LC, we previously reported an increase in TH-expressing cell number in C mouse LC only, equalizing TH phenotype between the two strains. Here, we demonstrate that strain specific plasticity of TH phenotype detected in spatially organized cells is associated with the regulation of TH-mRNA expression above a detectable level. These results suggest that interstrain differences and pharmacologically-induced phenotypic plasticity in TH phenotype may occur at the transcriptional level.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Neuropharmacologie Moléculaire, CNRS-UCB UMR 5542, Faculté de Médecine Laënnec, Lyon, France. marcel@cimac-res.univ-lyon1.fr
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marcel
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raison
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bezin
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Pujol
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weissmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008125:Locus Coeruleus / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics*; D014749:Vincamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014749:Vincamine; C044616:vindeburnol; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase