Difference in sensory dependence of occ1/Follistatin-related protein expression between macaques and mice.
occ1/Follistatin-related protein (Frp) is strongly expressed in the primary visual cortex (V1) of macaque monkeys, and its expression is strongly down-regulated by intraocular tetrodotoxin (TTX) injection. The pronounced area selectivity of occ1/Frp mRNA expression occurs in macaques and marmosets, but not in mice, rabbits and ferrets, suggesting that occ1/Frp is an important clue to the evolution of the primate cerebral cortex. To further determine species differences, we examined the sensory-input dependency of occ1/Frp mRNA expression in mice in comparison with macaque V1. In macaque V1, occ1/Frp mRNA expression level significantly decreased with even 1-day monocular deprivation (MD) by TTX injection. In contrast to that in macaques, however, the occ1/Frp mRNA expression in the visual cortex in mice was not down-regulated by 1- to 7-day MD by TTX injection. Similarly, MD had no effect on occ1/Frp mRNA expression level in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of mice. In addition, the extirpation of the cochlear or olfactory epithelium had no effect on occ1/Frp mRNA expression in either the cochlear nucleus or the olfactory bulb in mice. Thus, occ1/Frp mRNA expression is independent of sensory-input in mice. The results suggest that activity-dependent occ1/Frp mRNA expression is not common between mice and monkeys, and that primate V1 has acquired a unique gene regulatory mechanism that enables a rapid response to environmental changes. The characteristic feature of the activity dependency of occ1/Frp mRNA expression is discussed, in comparison with that of the expression of the immediate-early genes, c-fos and zif268.
Takahata
Toru
T
Division of Brain Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaijicho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan.
Hashikawa
Tsutomu
T
Higo
Noriyuki
N
Tochitani
Shiro
S
Yamamori
Tetsuo
T
D000818:Animals; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D001766:Blindness / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D003714:Denervation; D005260:Female; D038702:Follistatin-Related Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics*; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000378:metabolism; D008251:Macaca; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000235:genetics*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000378:metabolism*; D009498:Neurotoxins; D009833:Olfactory Pathways / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D012683:Sensory Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology
D038702:Follistatin-Related Proteins; D009498:Neurotoxins; C448721:OCC1 protein, Macaca fascicularis; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013779:Tetrodotoxin