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Visual stimulation‐induced phosphorylation of neurofilament‐L in the visual cortex of dark‐reared rats
Author(s) -
Hashimoto Ryota,
Nakamura Yu,
Imamura Kazuyuki,
Nakadate Kazuhiko,
Kashiwagi Yujiro,
Matsumoto Naohiko,
Takeda Masatoshi
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1046/j.0953-816x.2001.01747.x
Subject(s) - phosphorylation , neurofilament , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , biology , stimulation , visual cortex , neuroplasticity , chemistry , immunohistochemistry , immunology
In dark‐reared animals, visual exposure is expected to induce drastic changes in both the physiology and anatomy of the cortical neurons, including the rearrangement of their cytoskeletal structures. Phosphorylation of neurofilament‐L (NF‐L) is probably associated with relatively short‐term structural plasticity in vivo , because the assembly and disassembly of the filaments are regulated by phosphorylation of the head domain of NF‐L. Thus, by using a series of site‐ and phosphorylation state‐specific antibodies against NF‐L, we examined how visual activation induces the phosphorylation of NF‐L in the rat brain. We found no specific immunoreactivity for phosphorylated NF‐L in the brain of naive rats, whereas one‐hour ambient light exposure after dark rearing for ten weeks from birth induced marked phosphorylation of NF‐L selectively. Also, the NF‐L phosphorylation was found to be localized in the primary and secondary visual cortical areas. These findings suggest that the selective phosphorylation of NF‐L plays an important role in the structural plasticity related to the visual experience.