Deafferentation-induced changes in protein kinase C expression in the rat cochlear nucleus

Isoforms of the signal transducing molecule, protein kinase C (PKC), may play a role in neural plasticity following sensory deafferentation. To explore the role of PKC in central auditory plasticity, we studied the effect of auditory deafferentation on the expression of PKC betaI, betaII, gamma, and delta in the rat dorsal (DCN) and ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN), using immunocytochemistry. Male rats were treated with kanamycin and furosemide to induce hair cell loss. At various intervals post-treatment, brains were perfusion-fixed and processed for immunocytochemistry. Following deafferentation, we observed a gradual increase in PKC betaI immunoreactivity (ir) in the deepest layers of the DCN, possibly representing synapses of primary afferents or parallel fibers on unlabeled neurons. Correlated with this, we observed an increase in the number of neurons in the deep DCN that showed PKC delta ir. In controls, we observed PKC gamma ir in small ovoid cells concentrated in the middle layer of the DCN. From days 4 through 14 after deafferentation, we found an increase in the intensity of staining of these cells, with a return toward control levels by day 28. Finally, Purkinje-like cells (PLC) in the VCN, which express only PKC delta in control rats, began to express PKC gamma after deafferentation, correlated with increased expression of calbindin D28k in PLC. Thus PKC isoforms are differentially regulated in the CN following deafferentation, supporting a role for PKC in auditory plasticity.