The Journal of Neuroscience, August 15, 2000, 20(16):6030-6038
Expression of GAP-43 and SCG10 mRNAs in Lateral Geniculate
Nucleus of Normal and Monocularly Deprived Macaque Monkeys
Noriyuki
Higo1, 2,
Takao
Oishi1,
Akiko
Yamashita3,
Keiji
Matsuda1, and
Motoharu
Hayashi4
1 Neuroscience Section, Information Science Division,
Electrotechnical Laboratory, Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan,
2 Department of Physiology, University of Tsukuba School of
Medicine, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan,
3 Department of Anatomy, Nihon University School of
Medicine, Oyaguchi-Kamimachi, Itabashi, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan, and
4 Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Primate
Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
We performed nonradioactive in situ hybridization
histochemistry (ISH) in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the
macaque monkey to investigate the distribution of mRNA for two
growth-associated proteins, GAP-43 and SCG10. GAP-43 and SCG10 mRNAs
were coexpressed in most neurons of both magnocellular layers (layers I
and II) and parvocellular layers (layers III-VI). Double-labeling
using nonradioactive ISH and immunofluorescence revealed that both
GAP-43 and SCG10 mRNAs were coexpressed with the
-subunit of type II calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, indicating that both mRNAs
are expressed also in koniocellular neurons in the LGN. We also showed
that GABA-immunoreactive neurons in the LGN did not contain GAP-43 and
SCG10 mRNAs, indicating that neither GAP-43 nor SCG10 mRNAs were
expressed in inhibitory interneurons in the LGN. GABA-immunoreactive
neurons in the perigeniculate nucleus, however, contained both GAP-43
and SCG10 mRNAs, indicating that both mRNAs were expressed in
inhibitory neurons in the perigeniculate nucleus, which project to
relay neurons in the LGN. Furthermore, to determine whether the
expression of GAP-43 and SCG10 mRNAs is regulated by visual input, we
performed nonradioactive ISH in the LGN and the primary visual area of
monkeys deprived of monocular visual input by intraocular injections of
tetrodotoxin. Both mRNAs were downregulated in the LGN after monocular
deprivation for 5 d or longer. From these results, we conclude
that both GAP-43 and SCG10 mRNAs are expressed in the excitatory relay
neurons of the monkey LGN in an activity-dependent manner.
Key words:
GAP-43; SCG10; LGN; macaque monkey; growth-associated
protein; koniocellular; GABA; monocular deprivation; in situ
hybridization; activity-dependent regulation
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