title: Expression of c-Fos, Fos B, Jun B, and Zif268 transcription factor proteins in rat barrel cortex following apomorphine-evoked whisking behavior.
abstract: Apomorphine-evoked expression of transcription factor proteins: c-Fos, Fos B, Jun B, and Zif268 (also named Krox-24, NGFI-A, Egr-1), was investigated in rat somatosensory (barrel) cortex. The effect of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist MK-801 on their expression was also analyzed. Apomorphine is a dopamine receptor agonist, eliciting motor activity, including enhanced whisking leading to the activation of vibrissae representation in the barrel cortex. Rats had their whiskers clipped on one side of the snout. The Zif268 levels were markedly reduced by this procedure alone. In contrast, apomorphine (5.0 mg/kg) evoked marked c-Fos elevation, less pronounced changes in Jun B and Zif268 and no change in Fos B. The greatest apomorphine-evoked c-Fos accumulation was observed in layers IV and V/VI of non-deprived barrel cortex and was not significantly influenced by MK-801 injection at 0.1 mg/kg. A higher dose of MK-801 (1.0 mg/kg) produced abnormalities in locomotor behavior and diminished c-Fos levels on the non-deprived side to the ones observed in the sensory stimulus-deprived cortex. We conclude that the response of the somatosensory cortex is selective with respect to both the gene activated and its cortical layer localization. Furthermore, sensory stimulation provides a major but not the only component to apomorphine-evoked barrel cortex gene activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute, Warsaw, Poland. filip@cshl.org
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Filipkowski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rydz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kaczmarek
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004347:Drug Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D014110:Touch / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1; C486110:Egr1 protein, rat; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D014157:Transcription Factors; D001058:Apomorphine