Reduced plasticity of cortical whisker representation in adult tenascin-C-deficient mice after vibrissectomy.
The effect of the extracellular matrix recognition molecule tenascin-C on cerebral plasticity induced by vibrissectomy was investigated with 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) brain mapping in tenascin-C-deficient mice. Unilateral vibrissectomy sparing row C of vibrissae was performed in young adult mice. Two months later, cortical representations of spared row C vibrissae and control row C on the other side of the snout were visualized by [(14)C]2DG autoradiography. In both wild-type and tenascin-C-deficient mice, cortical representation of the spared row was expanded in all layers of the barrel cortex. However, the effect was significantly more extensive in wild-type animals than in the mutant. Elimination of tenascin-C by genetic manipulation thus reduces the effect of vibrissectomy observed in the somatosensory cortex. No increase in number of fibres in the vibrissal nerve of spared vibrissae was seen, and occurrence of additional nerve to the spared follicle was very rare. Thus, in tenascin-C-deficient mice functional plasticity seems to be impaired within the CNS.
Cybulska-Klosowicz
Anita
A
Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute, 3 Pasteur St., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
Zakrzewska
Renata
R
Pyza
Elzbieta
E
Kossut
Malgorzata
M
Schachner
Melitta
M
D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography / Q000379:methods; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003714:Denervation; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019063:Tenascin / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
D019063:Tenascin; D003847:Deoxyglucose; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV