Expression and regulation of the immediate-early gene product Arc in the accessory olfactory bulb after mating in male rat.
Recent studies of the accessory olfactory bulb have shown that the expression of immediate-early genes, e.g., c-fos, c-jun and egr-1, can be used as a marker of neuronal activity in response to pheromonal cues. In this study, we analyzed the expression pattern, in response to mating, of the novel immediate-early gene product Arc (an activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein). Arc is hypothesized to play a role in activity-dependent neuronal plasticity in the hippocampus. In a control group of male rats, only a small number of Arc-immunoreactive cells were observed in the accessory olfactory bulb. In a mating group, however, a marked increase in the number of Arc-immunoreactive cells was observed only in the granule cell layer of the accessory olfactory bulb. The increase in the number of Arc-immunoreactive cells after mating was similar to that observed for other immediate-early genes. However, for the mating group, the increase in Arc-positive cells was limited to the granule cell layer. Granule cells have been shown to exhibit a strong synaptic plasticity in response to pheromonal stimulation. From these findings we suggest that Arc plays an important role in neuronal plasticity in the accessory olfactory bulb.
Matsuoka
Masato
M
Division of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan. winner@med.niigata-u.ac.jp
Yamagata
Kanato
K
Sugiura
Hiroko
H
Yoshida-Matsuoka
Junko
J
Norita
Masao
M
Ichikawa
Masumi
M
D000818:Animals; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D003714:Denervation; D015870:Gene Expression; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000502:physiology*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D019147:Vomeronasal Organ / Q000502:physiology
D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; C092069:activity regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein