Binding of double stranded oligonucleotide probes for particular transcription factors with leucine-zipper motifs in discrete brain structures of mice with acquired and inherent spontaneous seizures

Nuclear extracts of mouse brain contained binding of radiolabeled oligonucleotide probes for particular transcription factors with leucine-zipper motifs including activator protein-1 (AP1), cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) and c-Myc. An acute intraperitoneal injection of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) at a convulsive dose significantly potentiated binding of the probe for AP1 in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, hypothalamus and midbrain, without affecting that in the medullapons and cerebellum, 2 h after the administration. However, PTZ Failed to affect binding of the probe for CREB under the similar experimental conditions. In contrast, PTZ induced a slight but statistically significant decrease in binding of the AP1 probe in the cerebellum, without altering that in the hippocampus, 14 h after the injection. On the other hand, repealed administration of PTZ at a subconvulsive dose led to spontaneous kindling seizures in animals, with a concomitant decrease in binding of the AP1 probe in both the hippocampus and cerebellum. In contrast to these animals with acquired spontaneous seizures, however, binding of the AP1 probe was significantly higher in three different telencephalic structures of inherently spontaneous epileptic El mice than that in the parent ddY mice, with binding of probes for CREB and c-Myc being unchanged. These results suggest that different molecular mechanisms may underlie the expression of API in discrete brain structures of mice with acquired and inherent spontaneous seizures. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.