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Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor‐Induced Increase in zif/268 and c‐ fos mRNA Levels Is Ca 2+ Dependent in Primary Cultures of Hippocampal Neurons
Author(s) -
Ferhat Lotfi,
Khrestchatisky Michel,
Roisin MariePaule,
Barbin Gilles
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1993.tb03626.x
Subject(s) - basic fibroblast growth factor , hippocampal formation , protein kinase c , biology , c fos , immediate early gene , microbiology and biotechnology , transcription factor , messenger rna , intracellular , second messenger system , fibroblast growth factor , gene expression , medicine , growth factor , endocrinology , kinase , gene , biochemistry , receptor
Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is present in the developing rat brain and has been shown to provide critical trophic support for hippocampal neurons in culture. The influence of bFGF on the expression of mRNAs encoding the transcription factors zif/268 and c‐ fos was studied in primary cultures of hippocampal neurons (derived from rat embryos) using reverse transcription‐coupled PCR. In these cultures grown for 3 days in the absence of serum, bFGF causes a dramatic and transient increase in the levels of zif/268 and c‐ fos , within 15 and 30 min, respectively. A similar induction of these two early genes occurs following activation of protein kinase C (PKC). The bFGF‐induced activation persists after PKC desensitization but is inhibited by chelation of intracellular Ca 2+ . These results suggest that in primary cultures of hippocampal neurons, bFGF induces the expression of immediate early genes through a pathway that requires Ca 2+ mobilization.