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Expression of the class III β‐tubulin gene during axonal regeneration of rat dorsal root ganglion neurons
Author(s) -
Moskowitz P. F.,
Smith R.,
Pickett J.,
Frankfurter A.,
Oblinger Monica M.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.490340113
Subject(s) - axotomy , dorsal root ganglion , biology , in situ hybridization , tubulin , regeneration (biology) , microbiology and biotechnology , sciatic nerve , gene expression , neuroscience , ganglion , nervous system , messenger rna , anatomy , microtubule , gene , spinal cord , genetics
The effect of peripheral axotomy on the expression of the class III β‐tubulin gene in adult dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons was examined. Of the 5 isotypic classes of β‐tubulin expressed in the mammalian nervous system, only the class III β‐tubulin is neuron specific. While information about the expression of several of the tubulin genes during neuronal development and regeneration has become available recently, very little is known about the expression of β III ‐tubulin during axonal regeneration. To explore this issue, we examined axotomy‐induced changes in β III ‐tubulin mRNA levels in adult rat lumbar dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons at different times (1–28 days) after unilateral sciatic nerve crush using northern blotting of total RNA and quantitative in situ hybridization. These studies showed an initial decrease in β III ‐tubulin mRNA levels in axotomized DRG neurons as compared to contralateral controls at 1 day after injury followed by robust increases in β III ‐tubulin mRNA levels relative to contralateral controls from 1 to 4 weeks after injury. We postulate that β III ‐tubulin may play an essential role in axonal growth because of its unique neuron‐specific pattern of expression and its substantial increase in neurons that have been stimulated to regrow their axons. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.