Particular nuclear transcription factors responsive to systemic administration of kainic acid in murine brain

Gel retardation electrophoresis revealed that binding of a radiolabeled double stranded oligonucleotide probe for the nuclear transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP1) was markedly potentiated 2 h after the intraperitoneal injection of kainic acid (KA) at a dose range of 10-40 mg/kg in a dose-dependent manner in the murine hippocampus. The potentiation was seen in a manner independent of the crisis of convulsive seizures following the administration of KA at different doses. At the highest dose employed, the systemic KA significantly potentiated the AP1 binding in most central discrete structures examined except the cerebellum. In contrast, KA significantly potentiated binding of a radiolabeled probe for cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) in a dose-dependent fashion in the hippocampus, without altering that in other parts of murine brain. No significant alteration was detected in binding of a probe for c-Myc in any brain regions examined 2 h after the administration of KA at different doses. However, immunoblotting analysis demonstrated that KA was ineffective in altering endogenous levels of both CREB and CREB phosphorylated at serine133 in the hippocampus and cerebellum. These results suggest that in vivo systemic KA signals may be selectively transduced to nuclear AP1 in the hippocampus through a mechanism different from phosphorylation of CREB at serine133 in murine brain.