c-fos antisense oligodeoxynucleotide increases formalin-induced nociception and regulates preprodynorphin expression

An antisense oligonucleotide reverses the footshock-induced expression of fos in the rat medial prefrontal cortex and the subsequent expression of conditioned fear-induced immobility

The immediate-early genes, including c-fos, have been proposed to be involved in learning and memory. In this report, we examine stress-induced Fos-like immunoreactivity (Fos-li) in subregions of the prefrontal cortex during a conditioned fear paradigm. During the acquisition phase, the rats were conditioned to fear a formerly neutral tone by pairing the tone with a mild footshock. The rats were then tested for fearful behavior by reexposure to the tone without additional footshock. During acquisition, Fos-li was increased in the medial prefrontal cortex (infralimbic and prelimbic) but not the anterior cingulate and M1 motor cortex. However, during the extinction phase, no significant increase in Fos-li was observed in any region. These findings indicate that acquisition, but not extinction, of conditioned fear is associated with an increase in Fos-li in subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex. In other animals, an antisense oligonucleotide directed against the c-fos mRNA was injected into the infralimbic/prelimbic cortex 12 or 72 hr before the acquisition session. Antisense treatment given 12, but not 72, hr earlier suppressed Fos production without altering behavior during the acquisition session. Three days after the acquisition session, rats were tested for fearful behavior as before. The antisense oligonucleotide blockade of Fos production during acquisition was associated with a significantly less fearful response during the extinction session. These results support a role for Fos in the medial prefrontal cortex during the acquisition of aversive learning.

Activation of serotonin-immunoreactive cells in the dorsal raphe nucleus in rats exposed to an uncontrollable stressor

The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and its serotonergic terminal regions have been suggested to be part of the neural substrate by which exposure to uncontrollable stressors produces poor escape responding and enhanced conditioned fear expression. Such stressor exposure is thought to selectively activate DRN serotonergic neurons in such a way as to render them transiently sensitized to further input. As a result of this sensitized state, behavioral testing procedures are thought to cause excess serotonergic activity in brain regions that control these behaviors. The present studies were conducted to investigate activity in the DRN following exposure to escapable and yoked, inescapable tailshock. Neural activity was characterized using immunohistochemistry to detect the immediate early gene product Fos in serotonin-immunoreactive cells in the DRN. Inescapable tailshock led to greater serotonergic neural activity than did escapable tailshock, supporting the hypothesis that uncontrollable stressors preferentially activate serotonergic neurons in the DRN.

Effect of post-injury NMDA antagonist treatment on long-term Fos expression and hyperalgesia in a model of chronic neuropathic pain

Chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve results in persistent mechanical hyperalgesia together with Fos protein expression in the lumbar spinal cord. We have examined the relationship between mechanical hyperalgesia and Fos expression within the lumbar spinal cord on days 14, 35 and 55 after either CCI or sham operation. To determine the role of NMDA receptor mechanisms in the maintenance of hyperalgesia and Fos expression, the NMDA antagonist MK-801 (0.3 mg kg-1 s.c.) was administered daily on days 28 to 34 after operation. CCI animals developed unilateral hind limb hyperalgesia that persisted unchanged from days 14 to 55 of the study. MK-801 treatment reduced hyperalgesia by 57% (p=0.02) on day 35 in CCI animals but did influence hyperalgesia at day 55. In the spinal cord, Fos positive cells were present bilaterally throughout laminae 3-10 at all time points examined in both CCI and sham group animals. Fos counts ipsilateral to the side of injury in laminae 3-10 correlated significantly with hyperalgesia scores in the CCI but not sham animals. MK-801 treatment resulted in a suppression of Fos expression in ipsilateral laminae 3-4 (p=0.0017) and laminae 5-10 (p=0.0026) of CCI animals on day 35. Fos expression in sham group animals was not inhibited by MK-801 treatment at day 35. These results indicate that Fos expression is maintained by differing mechanisms following nerve injury or sham operation. The functional consequences of Fos expression following nerve injury and sham operation are discussed.

CNS pattern of metabolic activity during tonic pain: evidence for modulation by beta-endorphin

CNS correlates of acute prolonged pain, and the effects of partial blockade of the central beta-endorphin system, were investigated by the quantitative 2-deoxyglucose technique in unanaesthetized, freely moving rats. Experiments were performed during the second, tonic phase of the behavioural response to a prolonged chemical noxious stimulus (s.c. injection of dilute formalin into a forepaw), or after minor tissue injury (s.c. saline injection). During formalin-induced pain, local glucose utilization rates in the CNS were bilaterally increased in the grey matter of the cervical spinal cord, in spinal white matter tracts and in several supraspinal structures, including portions of the medullary reticular formation, locus coeruleus, lateral parabrachial region, anterior pretectal nucleus, the medial, lateral and posterior thalamic regions, basal ganglia, and the parietal, cingulate, frontal, insular and orbital cortical areas. Pretreatment with anti-beta-endorphin antibodies, injected i.c.v., led to increased metabolism in the tegmental nuclei, locus coeruleus, hypothalamic and thalamic structures, putamen, nucleus accumbens, diagonal band nuclei and dentate gyrus, and in portions of the parietal, cingulate, insular, frontal and orbital cortex. In formalin-injected rats, pretreated with anti-beta-endorphin, behavioural changes indicative of hyperalgesia (increased licking response) were found, which were paralleled by a significant enhancement of functional activity in the anterior pretectal nucleus and in thalamo-cortical systems. A positive correlation was found between the duration of the licking response and metabolic activity of several forebrain regions. These results provide a map of the CNS pattern of metabolic activity during tonic somatic pain, and demonstrate a modulatory role for beta-endorphin in central networks that process somatosensory inputs.

The induction of pain: an integrative review

The highly disagreeable sensation of pain results from an extraordinarily complex and interactive series of mechanisms integrated at all levels of the neuroaxis, from the periphery, via the dorsal horn to higher cerebral structures. Pain is usually elicited by the activation of specific nociceptors ('nociceptive pain'). However, it may also result from injury to sensory fibres, or from damage to the CNS itself ('neuropathic pain'). Although acute and subchronic, nociceptive pain fulfils a warning role, chronic and/or severe nociceptive and neuropathic pain is maladaptive. Recent years have seen a progressive unravelling of the neuroanatomical circuits and cellular mechanisms underlying the induction of pain. In addition to familiar inflammatory mediators, such as prostaglandins and bradykinin, potentially-important, pronociceptive roles have been proposed for a variety of 'exotic' species, including protons, ATP, cytokines, neurotrophins (growth factors) and nitric oxide. Further, both in the periphery and in the CNS, non-neuronal glial and immunecompetent cells have been shown to play a modulatory role in the response to inflammation and injury, and in processes modifying nociception. In the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, wherein the primary processing of nociceptive information occurs, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors are activated by glutamate released from nocisponsive afferent fibres. Their activation plays a key role in the induction of neuronal sensitization, a process underlying prolonged painful states. In addition, upon peripheral nerve injury, a reduction of inhibitory interneurone tone in the dorsal horn exacerbates sensitized states and further enhance nociception. As concerns the transfer of nociceptive information to the brain, several pathways other than the classical spinothalamic tract are of importance: for example, the postsynaptic dorsal column pathway. In discussing the roles of supraspinal structures in pain sensation, differences between its 'discriminative-sensory' and 'affective-cognitive' dimensions should be emphasized. The purpose of the present article is to provide a global account of mechanisms involved in the induction of pain. Particular attention is focused on cellular aspects and on the consequences of peripheral nerve injury. In the first part of the review, neuronal pathways for the transmission of nociceptive information from peripheral nerve terminals to the dorsal horn, and therefrom to higher centres, are outlined. This neuronal framework is then exploited for a consideration of peripheral, spinal and supraspinal mechanisms involved in the induction of pain by stimulation of peripheral nociceptors, by peripheral nerve injury and by damage to the CNS itself. Finally, a hypothesis is forwarded that neurotrophins may play an important role in central, adaptive mechanisms modulating nociception. An improved understanding of the origins of pain should facilitate the development of novel strategies for its more effective treatment.

Inducible and constitutive transcription factors in the mammalian nervous system: control of gene expression by Jun, Fos and Krox, and CREB/ATF proteins

This article reviews findings up to the end of 1997 about the inducible transcription factors (ITFs) c-Jun, JunB, JunD, c-Fos, FosB, Fra-1, Fra-2, Krox-20 (Egr-2) and Krox-24 (NGFI-A, Egr-1, Zif268); and the constitutive transcription factors (CTFs) CREB, CREM, ATF-2 and SRF as they pertain to gene expression in the mammalian nervous system. In the first part we consider basic facts about the expression and activity of these transcription factors: the organization of the encoding genes and their promoters, the second messenger cascades converging on their regulatory promoter sites, the control of their transcription, the binding to dimeric partners and to specific DNA sequences, their trans-activation potential, and their posttranslational modifications. In the second part we describe the expression and possible roles of these transcription factors in neural tissue: in the quiescent brain, during pre- and postnatal development, following sensory stimulation, nerve transection (axotomy), neurodegeneration and apoptosis, hypoxia-ischemia, generalized and limbic seizures, long-term potentiation and learning, drug dependence and withdrawal, and following stimulation by neurotransmitters, hormones and neurotrophins. We also describe their expression and possible roles in glial cells. Finally, we discuss the relevance of their expression for nervous system functioning under normal and patho-physiological conditions.

Protein kinase A-dependent derepression of the human prodynorphin gene via differential binding to an intragenic silencer element

Induction of the prodynorphin gene has been implicated in medium and long-term adaptation during memory acquisition and pain. By 5' deletion mapping and site-directed mutagenesis of the human prodynorphin promoter, we demonstrate that both basal transcription and protein kinase A (PKA)-induced transcription in NB69 and SK-N-MC human neuroblastoma cells are regulated by the GAGTCAAGG sequence centered at position +40 in the 5' untranslated region of the gene (named the DRE, for downstream regulatory element). The DRE repressed basal transcription in an orientation-independent and cell-specific manner when placed downstream from the heterologous thymidine kinase promoter. Southwestern blotting and UV cross-linking experiments with nuclear extracts from human neuroblastoma cells or human brain revealed a protein complex of approximately 110 kDa that specifically bound to the DRE. Forskolin treatment reduced binding to the DRE, and the time course paralleled that for an increase in prodynorphin gene expression. Our results suggest that under basal conditions, expression of the prodynorphin gene is repressed by occupancy of the DRE site. Upon PKA stimulation, binding to the DRE is reduced and transcription increases. We propose a model for human prodynorphin activation through PKA-dependent derepression at the DRE site.

The time-course of abeta-evoked c-fos expression in neurons of the dorsal horn and gracile nucleus after peripheral nerve injury

We have examined the mechanisms underlying Abeta-evoked c-fos expression in the dorsal horn and gracile nucleus following either sciatic nerve section or crush injury. The results indicate that in the spinal cord Abeta-evoked c-fos does not depend on primary afferent sprouting but is associated with the disconnection from the peripheral target since its expression in the dorsal horn reverts to normal after crush injury when regeneration occurs but persists after cut and ligation where regeneration is prevented. In contrast, however, Abeta-evoked c-fos expression in the gracile nucleus may be under some other control since its expression appears independent of peripheral nerve regeneration.

A tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium current mediates inflammatory pain in the rat

We report evidence for a contribution of tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium current (TTX-R INa) to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)-induced hyperalgesia. Behavioral experiments were performed in rats chronically implanted with spinal cannulae. The study employed intrathecal administration of oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) antisense to the recently cloned channel underlying TTX-R INa (PN3/SNS). The nociceptive flexion reflex was employed to determine changes in mechanical stimulus-induced paw-withdrawal threshold. Administration of antisense but not of sense or mismatch ODN, led to a decrease in PGE2-induced hyperalgesia. PGE2-induced hyperalgesia returned to normal 7 days after the last injection of antisense ODN. Antisense ODN selectively and significantly reduced TTX-R INa current density in cultured sensory neurons. Our observations support the hypothesis that modulation of TTX-R INa, present in peripheral terminals of primary afferent nociceptors, contributes, at least in part, to inflammatory hyperalgesia. Since TTX-R INa is found only in primary afferent nociceptors, our findings suggest TTX-R INa as a promising target for novel therapeutic interventions for the treatment of inflammatory pain.

c-Fos as a transcription factor: a stressful (re)view from a functional map

This article summarizes the achievements that have been accumulated about the role of c-Fos as a transcription factor and as a functional marker of activated neurons. Since its discovery, more than a decade ago, as an inducible immediate-early gene encoding a transcription factor, or third messenger, involved in stimulus-transcription coupling and mediation of extracellular signals to long-term changes in cellular phenotype, c-fos became the most widely used powerful tool to delineate individual neurons as well as extended circuitries that are responsive to wide variety of external stimuli. There still remain uncertainties as to how general is the c-fos induction in the central neurons, and whether the threshold of c-fos induction is comparable along a certain neuronal circuit. The major limitation of this technology is that c-fos does not mark cells with a net inhibitory synaptic or transcriptional drive, and c-fos induction, as a generic marker of trans-synaptic activation, does not provide evidence for transcriptional activation of specific target genes in a certain cell type of interest. The first part of the review focuses on recent functional data on c-fos as transcription factor, while the second part discusses c-fos as a cellular marker of transcriptional activity in the stress-related circuitry.

Intra-amygdala infusion of an end-capped antisense oligodeoxynucleotide to c-fos accelerates amygdala kindling

The changes produced by repeated stimulation of the brain that result in the kindling effect remain unknown. It is known, however, that activation of immediate early genes including c-fos is a very early event in the development of kindling. Here we show that c-fos expression in the amygdala can be knocked-down by an end-capped antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (but not by vehicle, or control antisense oligodeoxynucleotides) and that this results in an acceleration of kindling. These results suggest that, at least in the amygdala, the expression of c-fos is associated with an attempt by the brain to retard the development of kindling.

Somatotopic redistribution of c-fos expressing neurons in the superficial dorsal horn after peripheral nerve injury

The functional somatotopic reorganization of the lumbar spinal cord dorsal horn after nerve injury was studied in the rat by mapping the stimulus-evoked distribution of neurons expressing proto-oncogene c-fos. In three different nerve injury paradigms, the saphenous nerve was electrically stimulated at C-fibre strength at survival times ranging from 40 h to more than six months: 1) Saphenous nerve stimulation from three weeks onwards after ipsilateral sciatic nerve transection resulted in an increase in the number of Fos-immunoreactive neurons within the dorsal horn saphenous territory in laminae I-II, and an expansion of the saphenous territory into the denervated sciatic territory until 14 weeks postinjury. 2) Saphenous nerve stimulation from five days onwards after ipsilateral sciatic nerve section combined with saphenous nerve crush resulted in an increase in the number of Fos-immunoreactive neurons within the dorsal horn saphenous nerve territory, and an expansion of the saphenous nerve territory into the denervated sciatic nerve territory. 3) Stimulation of the crushed nerve (without previous adjacent nerve section) at five days, but not at eight months resulted in a temporary increase in the number of Fos-immunoreactive neurons within the territory of the injured nerve, and no change in area at either survival time. The results indicate that nerve injury results in an increased capacity of afferents in an adjacent uninjured, or regenerating nerve, to excite neurons both in its own and in the territory of the permanently injured nerve in the dorsal horn. The onset and duration of the increased postsynaptic excitability and expansion depends on the types of nerve injuries involved. These findings indicate the complexity of the central changes that follows in nerve injuries that contain a mixture of uninjured, regenerating and permanently destroyed afferents.

Evidence for Fos involvement in the regulation of proenkephalin and prodynorphin gene expression in the rat hippocampus

For a long time Fos has been proposed to play some role in regulation of the proenkephalin (PENK) and prodynorphin (PDYN) gene expression. In recent years, however, evidence has accumulated that the transcription of both genes in several brain regions in vivo is transactivated by the transcription factor CREB rather than by Fos. In the present study, involvement of Fos in the mechanism of the PENK and PDYN gene induction in the hippocampal dentate gyrus during seizures elicited by kainic acid was studied using a knock-down technique. Pretreatment with an antisense oligonucleotide complementary to c-fos mRNA did not influence the kainic acid-elicited convulsions. It inhibited, by about 50%, the induction of Fos protein in the dentate gyrus during seizures. The subsequent induction of PENK and PDYN mRNAs was reduced by more than 60% by the c-fos antisense oligonucleotide, while constitutive expression of three other genes (alpha-tubulin, NMDA receptor-1, and GS protein alpha-subunit) was not affected. The obtained results support the view that Fos may be involved in regulation of the PENK and PDYN gene expression in the dentate gyrus during seizures, which further suggests that the mechanisms triggering the up-regulation of both these genes in the dentate gyrus may differ from these working in other brain regions, such as the striatum and hypothalamus.

Pre-emptive intrathecal Mk-801, a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, inhibits the up-regulation of spinal dynorphin mRNA and hyperalgesia in a rat model of chronic inflammation

The effects of N-methyl-D-aspartate(NMDA) receptor antagonist, Mk-801, on the expression of spinal dynorphin (DYN) mRNA and the hyperalgesia induced by peripheral inflammation were studied by Northern analysis and behavioral test. Following an unilateral injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the rat hindpaw, there appeared a significant hyperalgesia of inflamed hindpaw and up-regulation of ipsilateral spinal DYN mRNA; while the pre-emptive and continuous intrathecal administration of Mk-801 (10 microg/microl per h) could significantly suppress both the hyperalgesia and the up-regulation of spinal DYN mRNA induced by peripheral inflammation. The results suggest that NMDA receptor activation may contribute to the development and maintenance of the thermal hyperalgesia that is associated with the up-regulation of DYN expression in spinal dorsal horn.

Using c-fos as a neural marker of pain

Just over a decade has past since Hunt et al. reported that the gene c-fos and its protein product Fos are expressed in the spinal cord of rats subjected to peripheral noxious stimulation. These authors showed that noxious stimulation (application of radiant heat or mustard oil) to the hind paw resulted in a massive increase in the expression of Fos in neurons in the dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord. Since then, there has been an explosion of studies in which c-fos has been used to study nociception (pain), and the number of such studies increases each year. The net result has been to establish c-fos expression as a valuable tool in pain research. Moreover, recent studies have provided evidence identifying the role of c-fos expression in spinal nociceptive processes. However, there are several important limitations to the practice of using c-fos to study nociception, and these limitations can be easily overlooked as the practice graduates to the status of an established technique. The increasing use of c-fos to study nociception necessitates a critical review of the practice, identifying the shortcomings as well as the strengths of this tool.

Transcription factor regulation of prodynorphin gene expression following rat hindpaw inflammation

Both c-Fos and prodynorphin mRNA and peptide increase unilaterally in nociceptive-specific neurons in the lumbar rat spinal cord during chronic hindpaw inflammation. To study the mechanisms underlying prodynorphin gene expression, we examined transcription factors and their interactions at the CRE/AP-1-like site, DYNCRE3, found in the prodynorphin gene promoter. CREB repressed while c-Fos and c-Jun activated transcription through the DYNCRE3 site in transient co-transfections in PC12 cells. Following inflammation of the rat hindpaw, immunostaining demonstrated a bilateral increase in phosphorylated CREB (P-CREB)-positive neurons in the spinal cord. Gel supershift studies showed that spinal cord extracts contained CREB, P-CREB, and phosphorylated c-Jun (P-c-Jun) proteins that bound to the DYNCRE3 site. We propose a model in which inflammation-induced phosphorylation of CREB relieves CREB repression at the DYNCRE3 site, P-CREB binds to the c-Fos promoter, and Fos/Fra, P-CREB, and P-c-Jun interact at the DYNCRE3 site to activate prodynorphin gene transcription.

Preprodynorphin mRNA-expressing neurones in the rat parabrachial nucleus: subnuclear localization, hypothalamic projections and colocalization with noxious-evoked fos-like immunoreactivity

The dorsal lateral subnucleus of the rat pontine parabrachial nucleus is a major target for ascending nociceptive information from the spinal cord. With in situ hybridization histochemistry, using a radiolabelled cRNA probe, we demonstrate that neurones in and near the dorsal lateral subnucleus express preprodynorphin mRNA. The cRNA probe was constructed from a PCR product amplified from rat genomic DNA. Sequencing of the PCR product revealed that it corresponded to the sequence 466-1101 of the rat preprodynorphin gene exon 4. Tract tracing experiments, using injection of cholera toxin subunit B into the hypothalamic median preoptic nucleus, showed a retrograde labelling pattern of neurones in the parabrachial nucleus that was almost identical to that of the preprodynorphin mRNA expressing neurones. Double-labelling, combining immunohistochemical detection of tracer and in situ hybridization, revealed that the retrogradely labelled neurones expressed preprodynorphin mRNA. A similar double-labelling, combining in situ hybridization with immunohistochemical detection of noxious-evoked fos following formalin injection into one hindpaw of awake animals, showed that almost all fos-immunoreactive neurones in the dorsal lateral parabrachial subnucleus also expressed preprodynorphin mRNA. Quantitative analysis suggested that the evoked fos immunoreactivity was accompanied by an increased preprodynorphin mRNA expression. The findings provide evidence that neurones in the dorsal lateral subnucleus produce dynorphin and project to the median preoptic nucleus, and that noxious stimulation in awake animals synaptically activates the dynorphinergic neurones in this subnucleus. These observations are consistent with the idea of a functional and chemical heterogeneity among different parabrachial subnuclei that serves to produce specific homeostatic responses to stimuli that changes the physiological status of the organism, including tissue damage.

BDNF restores the expression of Jun and Fos inducible transcription factors in the rat brain following repetitive electroconvulsive seizures

The expression of inducible transcription factors was studied following repetitive electroconvulsive seizures (ECS), c-Fos, c-Jun, JunB, and JunD immunoreactivities were investigated following a single (1 x ECS) or repetitive ECS evoked once per day for 4, 5, or 10 days (4 x ECS, 5 x ECS, or 10 x ECS). Animals were killed 3 or 12 h following the last ECS. Three hours after 1 x ECS, c-Fos was expressed throughout the cortex and hippocampus. After 5 x ECS and 10 x ECS, c-Fos was reexpressed in the CA4 area, but was completely absent in the other hippocampal areas and cortex. In these areas, c-Fos became only reinducible when the time lag between two ECS stimuli was 5 days. In contrast to c-Fos, intense JunB expression was inducible in the cortex and hippocampus, but not CA4 subfield, after 1 x ECS, 5 x ECS, and 10 x ECS. Repetitive ECS did not effect c-Jun and JunD expression. In a second model of systemic excitation of the brain, repetitive daily injection of kainic acid for 4 days completely failed to express c-Fos, c-Jun, and JunB after the last application whereas injection of kainic acid once per week did not alter the strong expressions compared to a single application of kainic acid. In order to study the maintenance of c-Fos expression during repetitive seizures, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was applied in parallel for 5 or 10 days via miniosmotic pumps and permanent cannula targeted at the hippocampus or the parietal cortex. Infusion of BDNF completely reinduced c-Fos expression during 5 x ECS or 10 x ECS in the cortex ipsilaterally to the cannula and, to a less extent, also increased the expression of c-Jun and JunB when compared to saline-treated controls. BDNF had no effect on the expression patterns in the hippocampus. ECS with or without BDNF infusion did not change the expression patterns of the constitutive transcription factors ATF-2, CREB, and SRF. These data demonstrate that various transcription factors substantially differ in their response to acute and chronic neural stimulation. Repetitive pathophysiological excitation decreases the transcriptional actions of neurons over days in the adult brain, and this decrement can be prevented by BDNF restoring the neuroplasticity at the level of gene transcription.

The anticonvulsant properties of antisense c-fos oligodeoxynucleotides in kainic acid-induced seizures

Evidence has accumulated that the immediate early gene c-fos has important physiological and pharmacological properties in the central nervous system. The role of c-fos in seizures and, in particular, kainic acid-induced seizures, is unclear. It is unknown if c-fos stimulation after kainic acid is a consequence of neuronal activation, or an intrinsic critical component of the metabolic pathways leading to seizure. To elucidate this problem we have pretreated male Wistar rats with antisense c-fos and nonsense c-fos oligodeoxynucleotides 12 h prior to kainic acid 10 mg/kg intraperitoneal. Antisense c-fos inhibited the number of wet dog shakes and the appearance of limbic motor seizures, effects not seen with nonsense or vehicle. The anticonvulsant effects were associated with reduction of both Fos and NGFI-A immunoreactivity and neuroprotection in the hippocampus, thalamus and primary olfactory cortex-amygdaloid region. Four days after antisense c-fos limbic motor seizures were not inhibited, and there was no decrease in Fos or NGFI-A immunoreactivity and no neuroprotection, indicating that the anticonvulsant effects were not secondary to a toxic effect. Sense oligonucleotides had no anticonvulsant effects when given 12 h prior to kainic acid and did not influence immunoreactivity or neuronal survival. In conclusion, these findings suggest a role for c-fos in the generation of kainic acid-induced limbic seizures and neuronal death.

Putative roles for the inducible transcription factor c-fos in the central nervous system: studies with antisense oligonucleotides

Although immediate-early genes such as c-fos are widely believed to play an important role in neuroplasticity, there is limited evidence to support involvement in the initiation of molecular events leading to medium- and long-term changes in brain function following a stimulus. Results using techniques such as transgenic knockout of the gene are often difficult to interpret. Antisense oligonucleotide technology offers an alternative. Infusion of antisense oligonucleotide to modify the expression of c-fos in the brain results in dramatic changes in rotation behaviour in animals challenged with psychostimulant drugs such as amphetamine. Similarly, the knockdown of c-fos expression using antisense oligonucleotides can also alter the rate of amygdala kindling in response to electrical stimulation of the brain. While studies using antisense oligonucleotides to knockdown c-fos expression provide evidence that the expression of c-fos plays an important role in regulating neuronal function, the use of antisense nucleotides has limitations and experiments must be very carefully controlled. Many details of antisense oligonucleotide actions remain unknown.

Intrathecally administered c-fos antisense oligodeoxynucleotide decreases formalin-induced nociceptive behavior in adult rats

c-fos antisense strategy was applied as a pharmacological approach to characterize its dose-dependent role and reversibility in the reduction of formalin-induced hyperalgesia. Nociceptive behavioral responses (weighted score, flinching response, licking/biting) following formalin (50 microl 5%) injection were assessed in adult Wistar rats receiving different doses (50 nM, 250 nM) of intrathecally administered c-fos antisense oligodeoxynucleotides at different times prior to formalin injections. The treatments dose dependently decreased both Fos immunoreactivity expression in dorsal horn of rat lumbar spinal cord and all nociceptive measures in the tonic phase of the formalin test. c-Fos correlated well with weighted pain score and/or flinching responses, but not with licking/biting behavior. With the exception of a 48-120 h period required for licking/biting behavior to be restored to its normal status, the suppressive effect on c-fos expression and other nociceptive behaviors disappeared 48 h following c-fos antisense oligodeoxynucleotide treatment. The results suggest a pharmacological potential of c-fos antisense oligodeoxynucleotides in the central nervous system to block immediate-early genes and their resulting physiological consequence following noxious stimulus.

Phosphorylation of transcription factor CREB in rat spinal cord after formalin-induced hyperalgesia: relationship to c-fos induction

The involvement of cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) signaling in tissue injury-induced inflammation and hyperalgesia has been characterized by measuring phosphorylation of CREB at serine-133 (CREB Ser133) using a specific antibody. In the unstimulated state, unphosphorylated CREB was observed in most nuclei of spinal neurons except for motor neurons, where only a small portion of neurons were stained. A few dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were also CREB-positive. After a unilateral injection of formalin into the hindpaw, a strong and bilateral phosphorylation of CREB Ser133 was induced, as assessed by both immunohistochemistry and Western blot. PhosphoCREB (pCREB)-positive neurons were found in laminae I, II, V, and X of spinal cord on both sides. CREB phosphorylation was very rapid and reached peak levels within 10 min of formalin treatment, whereas few pCREB-positive neurons were seen in unstimulated spinal cord. The induction of pCREB was predominantly postsynaptic, because only 5% of DRG neurons were labeled after inflammation. In contrast to CREB phosphorylation, the induction of c-Fos expression reached peak levels 2 hr after formalin treatment and c-Fos induction was mainly ipsilateral. Both formalin-evoked CREB phosphorylation and c-Fos expression in the spinal cord were suppressed by pretreatment with the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 (3.5 mg/kg, i.p.) or halothane anesthesia. These results suggest that CREB signaling may play a role in the long-term facilitation of spinal cord neurons after hyperalgesia. Furthermore, our results indicate that CREB phosphorylation may be necessary but not sufficient for c-fos induction.

Suppression of c-fos induction in rat brain impairs retention of a brightness discrimination reaction

Recently, the induction of transcription factor-encoding immediate-early genes such as c-fos was observed in distinct brain regions of rats trained to acquire a footshock-motivated brightness discrimination in a Y-maze. The functional relevance of inducible transcription factors for learning and memory formation is, however, not clear. To address this question in the present study, we have used a synthetic antisense phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide to suppress in vivo the expression of c-fos in rat brain. Intrahippocampal application of the oligodeoxynucleotide 10 hr and 2 hr before starting a brightness discrimination training drastically reduced the induction of c-Fos immunoreactivity normally observed in limbic and cortical areas after the training session. Acquisition of the discrimination reaction was not affected by this treatment. In a relearning test 24 hr after the first training, retention of the discrimination reaction was specifically impaired compared with rats pretreated with control oligodeoxynucleotide or saline. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the inducible transcription factor c-Fos is involved in processes underlying the formation of long-term memory.

Brain substrates activated by electroacupuncture (EA) of different frequencies (II): Role of Fos/Jun proteins in EA-induced transcription of preproenkephalin and preprodynorphin genes

Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) of c-fos and/or c-jun were used in this study to investigate the role of Fos and Jun proteins in electroacupuncture (EA)-induced transcription of the opioid genes, preproenkephalin (PPE), preprodynorphin (PPD) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC). As the results showed, EA-induced Fos and fun expression was blocked efficiently and specifically by e-fos and c-jun antisense ODNs, respectively. This treatment significantly prevented EA-induced PPD, but not PPE, mRNA expression. These results suggest that Fos and Jun proteins are involved in PPD rather than PPE gene transcription activated by EA stimulation.

Selective attenuation of mu-opioid receptor-mediated effects in rat sensory neurons by intrathecal administration of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides

To test the hypothesis that the expression of specific proteins on peripheral terminals of primary afferents can be attenuated by intrathecal administration of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs), we administered ODNs antisense to the mu-opioid receptor to male Sprague-Dawley rats via chronically implanted intrathecal cannulae. Antisense but not mismatch ODN treatment significantly decreased peripheral (D-Ala2, N-Me-Phe4, Gly5-ol)-enkephalin (DAMGO) inhibition of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) hyperalgesia. Antisense treatment affected neither the magnitude of PGE2 hyperalgesia nor the antinociception produced by a peripherally administered adenosine A1-agonist. The antinociceptive effects of DAMGO was fully recovered 8 days after cessation of ODN treatment. DAMGO-induced inhibition of voltage-gated Ca2+ currents (VGCC), in cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from rats treated with ODNs, was also significantly reduced by antisense but not mismatch ODNs. Taken together, these observations suggest that intrathecal administration of antisense ODNs can be used to study the function of proteins present in the peripheral terminals of primary afferent neurons.

A nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor (L-NAME) reduces licking behavior and Fos-labeling in the spinal cord of rats during formalin-induced inflammation

Formalin injected subcutaneously into the hindpaw of the rat produces an animal model of inflammation that exhibits a phasic component and a tonic component of pain. We evaluated the effects of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), on a formalin-induced behavior, hindpaw licking, and on Fos-labeling of nuclei in the fifth lumbar spinal segment. Our results demonstrated that pretreatment with intrathecal doses of 0.3 and 1.0 mg of L-NAME significantly reduced licking behavior associated with injection of formalin into the left hindpaw of the rat. In addition, these same doses of L-NAME reduced formalin-induced Fos-labeling in the ipsilateral dorsal gray matter (as compared to the contralateral gray matter). Qualitative assessment suggested that the reduction in labeling occurred primarily in the superficial dorsal horn. The stereoisomer, D-NAME, administered at the same doses had little to no effect on either formalin-induced licking or Fos-labeling. Finally, our results revealed that total licking time was related to Fos-labeling. Rats that spent less time licking the hindpaw exhibited a smaller increase in Fos-labeling. Our results suggest that the production of nitric oxide is associated with licking behavior resulting from formalin injection into the hindpaw of rats. Our results also suggest that the production of nitric oxide and Fos are associated. Indeed, these substances may be involved in spinal pathways associated with nociception.

The effects of intrathecally administered FK480, a cholecystokinin-A receptor antagonist, and YM022, a cholecystokinin-B receptor antagonist, on the formalin test in the rat

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is located in the brain and the spinal cord, and CCK antagonist is reported to enhance the analgesic effect of morphine. It has been suggested that, during inflammation, the level of endogenous opioid peptides increases in the spinal cord. Intrathecally administered CCK antagonist may have some analgesic effect during inflammation via the activated spinal opioid system. To gain a better understanding of the roles of CCK-A and CCK-B receptors in spinal nociceptive transmission during inflammation, this study evaluated the effects of intrathecally administered FK480 (a CCK-A receptor antagonist) and YM022 (a CCK-B receptor antagonist). Inflammation was induced by paw formalin injection (formalin test) in rats. The subcutaneous injection of formalin into the hind paw evoked biphasic flinching (Phase 1, 0-9 min; Phase 2, 10-60 min) of the injected paw. Drugs were administered intrathecally 10 min before (pretreatment) or 7 min after (posttreatment) the formalin injection. Neither pretreatment nor posttreatment with FK480 has any effect on the formalin test. Pretreatment, but not posttreatment, with YM022 depressed the Phase 1 and Phase 2 flinching behavior in a dose-dependent manner, and this YM022 effect was stereospecific and was not antagonized by naloxone. These data indicate that a CCK-B receptor antagonist, but not a CCK-A receptor antagonist, produces an antinociceptive effect in the rat formalin test. This effect of a CCK-B receptor antagonist was not mediated by the spinal opioid receptor activation.

Spinal release of immunoreactive dynorphin A(1-8) with the development of peripheral inflammation in the rat

Microprobes bearing immobilised antibodies to dynorphin A(1-8) were used to study the basal and evoked release of this prodynorphin derived peptide in the spinal cord of urethane anaesthetised normal rats and those with a peripheral inflammation. In the absence of any active peripheral stimulus the antibody microprobes detected immunoreactive (ir)-dynorphin A(1-8) in two areas (lamina I and laminae IV-V) in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord of normal rats. With the development of unilateral ankle inflammation over 3 to 5 days following subcutaneous injections of Freund's complete adjuvant, a basal presence of ir-dynorphin A(1-8) was found in both the dorsal and ventral horn regions of both sides of the spinal cord. Lateral compression of the ankles of the normal animals did not release ir-dynorphin A(1-8) during the period of stimulation, but this neuropeptide was detected in increased amounts in the ventral horn following the stimulus. By contrast, compression of inflamed ankles produced elevated levels of ir-dynorphin A(1-8) during the period of stimulus application at three major sites in the ipsilateral spinal grey matter. The largest peak was in the deep dorsal horn/upper ventral horn (laminae VI-VII), with further sites of significant release in the mid dorsal horn (laminae II-V) and the lower ventral horn. The observation that ir-dynorphin A(1-8) is physiologically released in the ventral and deep dorsal in addition to the superficial dorsal horn of the rat suggests an involvement of dynorphins in several aspects of spinal function.