Increased jun immunoreactivity in an in vitro model of mammalian spinal neuron physical injury

Dendrites were transected from murine spinal neurons. Unlesioned neurons showed dark nucleolar and patchy cytoplasmic jun immunostaining. By 0.5 and 2 h, most lesioned neurons stained intensely throughout the soma. However, at 24 h only dead neurons displayed intense somal staining, and 100% of the surviving cells stained like unlesioned controls. Correlation of immunostaining patterns with viability, injury, and death suggests jun gene expression may influence the survival of neurons after physical injury.