Premium
Regional and cellular distribution of protein kinase C in rat cerebellar purkinje cells
Author(s) -
Barmack Neal H.,
Qian Zuyuan,
Yoshimura Jason
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/1096-9861(20001113)427:2<235::aid-cne6>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - protein kinase c , cerebellum , purkinje cell , biology , medial vestibular nucleus , vestibular nuclei , neuroscience , gene isoform , nucleus , cerebellar cortex , lateral vestibular nucleus , anatomy , vestibular system , microbiology and biotechnology , signal transduction , biochemistry , gene
Protein kinase C (PCK) is a family of isoforms that are implicated in subcellular signal transduction. The authors investigated the distribution of several PKC isoforms (PKC‐α, PKC‐β, PKC‐γ, PKC‐δ, and PKC‐ϵ) within major cerebellar cell types as well as cerebellar projection target neurons, including Purkinje neurons, cerebellar nuclear neurons, and secondary vestibular neurons. PKC‐α, PKC‐β, PKC‐γ, PKC‐δ, and PKC‐ϵ are found within the cerebellum. Of these isoforms, PKC‐γ and PKC‐δ are highly expressed in Purkinje cells. PKC‐γ is expressed in all Purkinje cells, whereas the expression of PKC‐δ is restricted to sagittal bands of Purkinje cells in the posterior cerebellar cortex. In the lower folia of the uvula and nodulus, Purkinje cell expression of PKC‐δ is uniformly high, and the sagittal banding for PKC‐δ expression is absent. Within the cerebellar nuclei, PKC‐δ‐immunolabeled axons terminate within the medial aspect of the caudal half of the ipsilateral interpositus nucleus. PKC δ‐immunolabeled axons also terminated within the caudal medial and descending vestibular nuclei (MVN and DVN, respectively), the parasolitary nucleus (Psol), and the nucleus prepositus hypoglossi (NPH). PKC‐γ‐immunolabeled axons terminated in all of the cerebellar nuclei as well as in the lateral and superior vestibular nuclei and the MVN, DVN, Psol, and NPH. The projection patterns of PKC‐immunolabeled Purkinje cells were confirmed by lesion‐depletion studies in which unilateral uvula‐nodular lesions caused depletion of PKC‐immunolabeled terminals ipsilateral to the lesion in the vestibular complex. These data identify circuitry that is unique to cerebellar‐vestibular interactions. J. Comp. Neurol. 427:235–254, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.