Screening of genes associated with termination of the critical period of visual cortex plasticity in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the molecular mechanism involved in the termination of the critical period of visual cortex plasticity in the rat.


METHODS
The rats were divided into two groups, one group was dark-reared for 67 days after birth, while the other group was dark-reared for 60 days and then put under a normal light/dark cycle for 7 days. A subtracted cDNA library was constructed from the visual cortex, and differentially expressed genes were screened by nested PCR, reverse Northern hybridization, sequencing, and homology analysis.


RESULTS
Fourteen genes were found to be up-regulated in the visual cortex. These included 13 known genes and a novel fragment (Genbank submission EB174193). Of the known genes, three genes encoding beta -tubulin, myelin basic protein, and cyclophilin were previously reported to be associated with visual cortex plasticity.


CONCLUSIONS
A set of candidate genes related to the termination of the critical period was identified using the subtracted cDNA library. This work provides an important basis for understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the termination of plasticity in the visual cortex.
Jiang
Wen Shan
WS
Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Yin
Zheng Qin
ZQ
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D003623:Dark Adaptation / Q000502:physiology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D015723:Gene Library; D008027:Light; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000235:genetics*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*
D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger