Expression of the POU domain transcription factor, Oct-6, is attenuated in the adult mouse telencephalon, but increased by neurotoxic damage.
Oct-6 is a POU III domain transcription factor expressed in embryonic stem cells, Schwann cells, and neuronal subpopulations during telencephalic development. Its role is unknown except in Schwann cells where it is thought to regulate myelin-specific gene expression. Expression of Oct-6 was recently discovered in neurons in postmortem human schizophrenic brain while being undetectable in matched controls. This study of human tissue contrasted in a number of regards with earlier studies of rodent brain and questioned what we can consider to be normal adult expression of this gene. In this study, we have investigated Oct-6 expression in normal adult mice and in mice treated with neuractive compounds. We show that Oct-6 is widely expressed in young adults but that its expression subsequently becomes restricted to specific neuronal subpopulations. Contrary to earlier reports, however, this specific expression is transient and is eventually completely lost from telencephalic neurons. The OCT-6 protein, somewhat surprisingly, is found to be cytoplasmic as well as nuclear in certain neuronal subpopulations. Finally, we report that neurotoxic doses of anticonvulsants reactivate OCT-6 expression in adult mouse brain.
Ilia
M
M
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. m.ilia@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Bazigou
E
E
Price
J
J
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000633:toxicity; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000633:toxicity; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000633:toxicity; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D050816:Octamer Transcription Factor-6; D010672:Phenytoin / Q000633:toxicity; D051381:Rats; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013687:Telencephalon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D002614:Chelating Agents; C494179:Pou3f1 protein, rat; D014157:Transcription Factors; D050816:Octamer Transcription Factor-6; D002220:Carbamazepine; D010672:Phenytoin