J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2003 Sep;42(5):544-552.

Changes of AP-1 Binding Activities in Rat Brain by Electroconvulsive Shock

• Joo YH
• Ahn YM
• Kang UG
• Koo YJ
• Kim YS

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
ECS could have therapeutic effects on psychiatric illnesses by inducing IEGs, which in turn regulates expression of their target genes. We observed AP-1 binding activity and identified AP-1 binding proteins in NMDAR1, late response gene of IEGs, which considered as the candidate gene for schizophrenia.
METHODS
By gel shift assay and supershift assay, we observed binding activities and AP-1 binding proteins in NMDAR1. Because IEGs are induced rapidly but transiently by external stimuli, there is a possibility that the expression of IEGs is negatively feedbacked by their own products via their AP-1 binding sites. For that purpose, we also observed AP-1 binding activity of c-fos and c-jun via gel shift and supershift assay.
RESULTS
ECS increased AP-1 binding activities of NMDAR1 gene, contributed by c-Fos and its related proteins. Peak of the increased binding was 60 minutes in both hippocampus and cerebellum. Though expression of c-Fos and c-Jun were increased by ECS, there were no changes in AP-1 binding activities after ECS. AP-1 sites of IEGs were binded by CREB, regardless of ECS.
CONCLUSION
There is a possibility that ECS induced IEG expression, and then incresed expression of NMDR1 by binding of expressed IEGs to the AP-1 site of NMDAR1. ECS did not increase AP-1 binding activities of IEGs. This suggests that the regulation of IEGs' expression can not be influenced mainly by AP-1 site.

Keyword

ECS (electroconvulsive shock); IEG (immediate early gene); AP-1; NMDAR1 (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor)

MeSH Terms

Animals
Binding Sites
Brain*
Carrier Proteins
Cerebellum
Electroshock*
Hippocampus
Rats*
Schizophrenia
Transcription Factor AP-1*
Carrier Proteins
Transcription Factor AP-1