Effects of water deprivation and rehydration on c-Fos and FosB staining in the rat supraoptic nucleus and lamina terminalis region

• Published in: American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology integrative and comparative physiology, 2005-01, Vol.288 (1), p.R311-R321
• Main Authors: Ji, Lisa L, Fleming, Tiffany, Penny, Maurice L, Toney, Glenn M, Cunningham, J. Thomas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Dehydration - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation - physiology; Genes, fos - physiology; Hypothalamus - metabolism; Immunohistochemistry; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Staining and Labeling; Supraoptic Nucleus - metabolism; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Water - metabolism; Water Deprivation - physiology
• ISSN: 0363-6119; 1522-1490
• DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00399.2004

Departments of 1 Pharmacology and 2 Physiology, and the Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas Submitted 15 June 2004 ; accepted in final form 23 September 2004 We studied cFos and FosB staining in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) and the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO) in adult male rats after water deprivation (24 h, n = 11; 48 h, n = 12) and water deprivation with rehydration (22 h + water, n = 11; 46 h + water, n = 10). Control rats ( n = 15) had water available ad libitum. Separate sets of serial sections from each brain were processed for immunocytochemistry using primary antibodies against either c-Fos or FosB protein. Plasma osmolality, vasopressin, hematocrit, and plasma proteins were measured in separate groups ( n = 6–7). The number of c-Fos-positive cells in the SON was significantly increased after 24 and 48 h of water deprivation. In contrast, rehydrated groups were not different from control. Water deprivation significantly increased c-Fos staining in both the OVLT and the MnPO, but c-Fos staining was not altered by rehydration. FosB staining in the SON was significantly increased only by 48-h water deprivation, and this effect was significantly decreased by rehydration. In the MnPO and OVLT, FosB staining was significantly increased by water deprivation, and, like c-Fos staining, these increases were not affected by rehydration. Water deprivation significantly increased osmolality and hematocrit, as well as plasma protein and vasopressin concentrations. Plasma measurements from rehydrated rats were not different from control. We conclude that water deprivation and rehydration differentially affect c-Fos and FosB staining in a region-dependent manner. vasopressin; thirst; anteroventral region of third ventricle; dehydration Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: J. T. Cunningham, Dept. of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX 78229 (E-mail: cunninghamt{at}uthscsa.edu )