Mack K J, Yi S D, Chang S, Millan N, Mack P
Waisman Center on Mental Retardation, Madison, WI, USA.
Brain Res Mol Brain Res. 1995 Mar;29(1):140-6. doi: 10.1016/0169-328x(94)00243-8.
NGFI-C is an early response gene which encodes a Cys2/His2 zinc finger protein. NGFI-C has previously been demonstrated to be inducible in PC12 cells after NGF stimulation. This study sought to localize this gene in somatosensory cortex, and investigate its possible induction by physiological and seizure stimuli. To determine if NGFI-C message levels are affected by stimulation, RT-PCR was performed on mRNA extracts from somatosensory cortex. NGFI-C mRNA levels were increased to levels four-fold over baseline after a seizure. In a paradigm used as a model of experience-dependent plasticity, vibrissae stimulation also increased the level of NGFI-C expression in the contralateral barrel cortex to 180% of control levels. In situ analysis using digoxigenin-labelled cRNA probes demonstrated NGFI-C containing neurons throughout layers 2 through 6 in somatosensory cortex. A higher cell density was seen after stimulation. Qualitatively, staining was more intense in post-seizure and post-stimulus cortex than in control cortex. Analysis of related zinc finger expression in serial sections revealed that NGFI-C is expressed in a distinct but overlapping cell populations relative to NGFI-A, Krox 20, and Egr-3. These studies demonstrate the inducible nature of NGFI-C message in response to a physiological vibrissae stimulus, as well as to seizures. However, the levels and pattern of expression differ between these two stimuli.
NGFI-C是一种早期反应基因，它编码一种Cys2/His2锌指蛋白。先前已证明，在神经生长因子（NGF）刺激后，PC12细胞中可诱导NGFI-C。本研究旨在将该基因定位在体感皮层，并研究其在生理刺激和癫痫刺激下的可能诱导情况。为了确定NGFI-C的信息水平是否受刺激影响，对体感皮层的mRNA提取物进行了逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）。癫痫发作后，NGFI-C mRNA水平增加至基线水平的四倍。在用作经验依赖性可塑性模型的范例中，触须刺激也使对侧桶状皮层中NGFI-C的表达水平增加至对照水平的180%。使用地高辛标记的cRNA探针进行原位分析，结果显示在体感皮层的第2层至第6层中均含有NGFI-C的神经元。刺激后可见更高的细胞密度。定性地说，癫痫发作后和刺激后的皮层染色比对照皮层更强烈。对连续切片中相关锌指表达的分析表明，相对于NGFI-A、Krox 20和Egr-3，NGFI-C在不同但有重叠的细胞群体中表达。这些研究证明了NGFI-C信息在响应生理触须刺激以及癫痫发作时的可诱导性。然而，这两种刺激下的表达水平和模式有所不同。
