C-fos-deficient mouse hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neurons exhibit both enhanced basal and kainic acid-induced excitability.
Excitotoxicity is a process in which glutamate or other excitatory amino acids induce neuronal cell death. To address whether and how c-fos is involved in neuronal excitotoxicity, we previously generated mice in which the c-fos expression is eliminated specifically in the hippocampus. We found that these mutant mice exhibit increased kainic acid (KA)-induced seizure severity, increased neuronal excitability as measured by electroencephalogram, and increased neuronal cell death compared to wild-type control mice. To further assess the role of c-fos in regulating neuronal excitability at a cellular level, we performed hippocampal slice recording in the current study. We found that c-fos-deficient CA3 pyramidal neurons exhibit both enhanced basal and KA-induced excitability compared to normal control neurons. Our results suggest that c-fos regulates CA3 neuronal excitability.
Jin
Wenzhen
W
Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Zhang
Jianhua
J
Lou
Danwen
D
Chavkin
Charles
C
Xu
Ming
M
D000818:Animals; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016762:Genes, fos; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008818:Mice, Neurologic Mutants; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D012640:Seizures / Q000235:genetics
D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D007608:Kainic Acid