Differential regulation of c-jun expression in liver and lung of mice after thermal injury
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K Cho1, R I Zipkin, L K Adamson
1Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California, Sacramento 95817, USA.
Abstract:
In addition to skin injury, burns may also damage distant organs. Understanding the mechanisms of distant organ injury will substantially improve the survival of burn patients. Transcription factors are the major regulators of gene expression in response to most types of injury. C-Jun, which is a part of the activator protein-1 transcription factor complex, is one of the major immediate-early response genes, which is rapidly induced after injury. The expression of c-Jun in mouse liver and lung at different time points (3 h to 29 days) after thermal injury was examined by using Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. Rapid induction of c-Jun mRNA and protein was observed in the liver 3 h after an 18% TBSA burn. C-Jun expression returned to basal levels within 3 days after injury. In contrast to the up-regulation observed in liver, lungs from the same mice expressed c-Jun constitutively throughout the same time points. The finding that thermal injury leads to up-regulation of c-Jun in liver but not lungs suggests that either the liver has a lower threshold for early response to injury or that different cellular events exist when each organ is stressed.
Insights
Burn injury upregulates c-Jun, a key transcription factor, in the liver but not the lungs. This suggests differential organ responses to thermal injury, impacting distant organ damage mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Sciences
- Molecular Biology
- Physiology
Background:
- Burns cause distant organ damage, impacting patient survival.
- Transcription factors regulate gene expression during injury responses.
- C-Jun is an immediate-early response gene rapidly induced after injury.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression of c-Jun in mouse liver and lung following thermal injury.
- To understand the temporal dynamics of c-Jun induction in response to burns.
Main Methods:
- Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) for mRNA analysis.
- Western blot for protein expression quantification.
- Immunohistochemistry for spatial localization of c-Jun.
Main Results:
- C-Jun mRNA and protein rapidly increased in the liver 3 hours post-burn (18% TBSA).
- Liver c-Jun expression normalized within 3 days.
- Lung c-Jun expression remained constitutive, showing no significant change after thermal injury.
Conclusions:
- Thermal injury differentially affects c-Jun expression in the liver versus the lungs.
- The liver exhibits a quicker response to injury compared to the lungs.
- Distinct cellular mechanisms may underlie organ-specific stress responses to burns.
