Abstract
Electrical activity shapes development of the nervous system, presumably in part by regulating gene expression. A set of regulatory genes, immediate early genes (IEGs), which are responsive to a number of extrinsic cellular stimuli have been proposed to play a role in coupling such activity to gene expression. Using a semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction assay, we show that in dissociated mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons the expression of two IEGs, c-fos and nur/77, is differentially sensitive to patterns of electrical stimulation. Differences in c-fos activation did not correlate with the peak intracellular calcium [Ca++]i produced by the different stimulation patterns or with residual [Ca++]i following stimulation. However, the net increase in [Ca++]i (calcium time integral) was greater for the pulsed stimulus that activated c-fos (6 impulses/min), compared to the ineffective stimulus (12 impulses/2 min). This system of genes seems suited to mediating the coupling between electrical activity and other functional genes.
MeSH terms
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Action Potentials
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Amino Acid Isomerases / biosynthesis
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Animals
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Calcium / metabolism
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Carrier Proteins / biosynthesis
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Cells, Cultured
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DNA-Binding Proteins / biosynthesis
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DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics*
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Electric Stimulation
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Fetus
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Ganglia, Spinal / metabolism
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Ganglia, Spinal / physiology
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Gene Expression Regulation*
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Genes, fos*
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Kinetics
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Mice
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Neurons / metabolism
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Neurons / physiology*
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Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 1
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Oligodeoxyribonucleotides
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Oligonucleotide Probes
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Peptidylprolyl Isomerase
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Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
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RNA, Messenger / biosynthesis
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Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear
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Receptors, Steroid
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Transcription Factors / biosynthesis
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Transcription Factors / genetics*
Substances
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Carrier Proteins
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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NR4A1 protein, human
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Nr4a1 protein, mouse
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Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 1
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Oligodeoxyribonucleotides
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Oligonucleotide Probes
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RNA, Messenger
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Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear
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Receptors, Steroid
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Transcription Factors
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Amino Acid Isomerases
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Peptidylprolyl Isomerase
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Calcium