[Effect of prenatal neutron irradiation on gene expression in the developing rat brain]

.5 Gy prenatal neutron irradiation at the 17 day of gestation resulted in activation of gene expression in brain. Elevated level of neuronal (GAP-43, NCAM, protein kinase C, calmodulin) and protooncogene (c-foc, c-jun, c-mas) gene transcripts in brain of 2-4 weeks old rats well correlated both with brain maturation in normal animals and development of brain weight deficiency in the irradiated rats. Activation of gene expression appears to be a compensatory response of surviving brain cells to irradiation. Suppression of the gene activity in brain of 18 months old rats correlated with impairment of brain functions at later periods after prenatal irradiation.