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Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity
Published on: November 11, 2017
Differential display implicates cyclophilin A in adult cortical plasticity
Lutgarde Arckens1, Estel Van der Gucht, Gert Van den Bergh
1Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neuroproteomics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Lut.Arckens@BIO.KULeuven.AC.BE
The European Journal of Neuroscience
|July 16, 2003
Summary
Retinal lesions in cats cause visual cortex reorganization. This study found decreased cyclophilin A (a protein) in the affected brain areas, suggesting its role in brain plasticity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Visual System Plasticity
Background:
- Adult visual cortex undergoes significant retinotopic reorganization after removal of retinal input.
- The molecular mechanisms driving this brain plasticity remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular changes, specifically gene expression, associated with visual cortex reorganization.
- To identify genes involved in the brain's response to sensory deprivation and subsequent plasticity.
Main Methods:
- Differential display of messenger RNA (ddRT-PCR) to compare gene expression in normal and reorganizing visual cortex.
- In situ hybridization and competitive PCR to confirm mRNA expression levels.
- Western blotting and immunocytochemistry to validate protein expression and localization.
Main Results:
- A significant decrease in mRNA encoding cyclophilin A was observed in the lesion-affected visual cortex.
- This reduction in cyclophilin A mRNA and protein persisted over longer post-lesion survival times.
- Cyclophilin A is expressed in neurons, and its decrease is specific to sensory-deprived cortex, not solely due to altered neuronal activity.
Conclusions:
- Cyclophilin A, typically considered a housekeeping gene, exhibits altered expression during central nervous system plasticity.
- These findings identify cyclophilin A as a novel gene associated with brain plasticity in the visual cortex.
