Bidirectional Regulation of Mitochondrial Gene Expression during Developmental Neuroplasticity of Visual Cortex

The first several months of life are a critical period for neuronal plasticity in the visual cortex, during which anatomical and physiological development depends upon visual experience. Rearing in darkness slows the time course of this critical period, such that at 5 weeks normal cats are more plas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2001-10, Vol.287 (5), p.1070-1074
Main Authors: Yang, Cuibo, Silver, Bethany, Ellis, Steven R., Mower, George D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenosine Triphosphatases - genetics
Animals
ATPase 6
Cats
cytochrome b
Cytochrome b Group - genetics
dark rearing
Darkness
differential display PCR
Gene Expression Regulation
mitochondria
Mitochondria - genetics
NADH dehydrogenase
NADH Dehydrogenase - genetics
neuronal plasticity
Neuronal Plasticity - genetics
Photic Stimulation
Polymerase Chain Reaction
visual cortex
Visual Cortex - growth & development
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Summary:The first several months of life are a critical period for neuronal plasticity in the visual cortex, during which anatomical and physiological development depends upon visual experience. Rearing in darkness slows the time course of this critical period, such that at 5 weeks normal cats are more plastic than dark-reared cats, while at 20 weeks dark-reared cats are more plastic. This study reports the identification of a subset of mitochondrial genes that are regulated in this manner. Opponent patterns of bidirectional expression were found: several genes (ATPase 6, cytochrome b, NADH dehydrogenase subunits 4 and 2) showed elevation in normal cats at 5 weeks and in dark-reared cats at 20 weeks (“plasticity” genes); others (NADH dehydrogenase subunits 3 and 5) showed the opposite (“anti-plasticity” genes). These findings add a new dimension to the growing evidence that changes in mitochondrial gene expression are involved in the neuroplastic response.
ISSN:0006-291X
1090-2104
DOI:10.1006/bbrc.2001.5706