[Genetical responses of neuronal cells to synaptic transmission]

To understand the cellular mechanisms that lead to the generation of synaptic plasticity of neuronal cells, it is important to understand the intracellular responses of neuronal cells stimulated via synaptic transmission. The stimulation of mouse cerebellar granule cells via NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors caused an increase in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-binding activities to TRE (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-responsive element) and CRE (adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-responsive element) motifs, depending upon the presence of extracellular Ca2+. The increases in TRE- and CRE-binding activities were also detected with the stimulation of non-NMDA receptors by kainate. The increases in TRE- and CRE-binding activities were both mediated by the same DNA-binding complexes whose binding affinity to CRE was about three-fold higher than that to TRE. On the other hand, the stimulation of neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid NG108-15 via muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, alpha 2-adrenergic receptors and bradykinin receptors caused a rapid induction of zif/268. An additive effect on the induction of zif/268 was observed when the different stimuli were simultaneously added. Thus, it is extremely likely that signals transduced via synaptic transmission are transferred to the level of gene expression and evoke some events which might contribute to the generation of synaptic plasticity in neuronal cells. In addition, we have found that the direct injection of plasmid DNAs into mouse skeletal muscle with fructose, glucose or NaCl solution led to a long-term expression of the introduced gene in muscle cells.