Expression pattern of immediate early genes in the cerebellum of D1R KO, D2R KO, and wild type mice under vestibular-controlled activity

Abstract

We previously reported the different motor abilities of D1R knockout (KO), D2R KO and wild-type (WT) mice. To understand the interaction between the cerebellum and the striatal direct and indirect pathways, we examined the expression patterns of immediate early genes (IEG) in the cerebellum of these three genotypes of mice. In the WT naive mice, there was little IEG expression. However, we observed a robust expression of c-fos mRNA in the vermis and hemisphere after running rota-rod tasks. In the vermis, c-fos was expressed throughout the lobules except lobule 7, and also in crus 1 of the ansiform lobule (Crus1), copula of the pyramis (Cop) and most significantly in the flocculus in the hemisphere. jun-B was much less expressed but more preferentially expressed in Purkinje cells. In addition, we observed significant levels of c-fos and jun-B expressions after handling mice, and after the stationary rota-rod task in naive mice. Surprisingly, we observed significant expression of c-fos and jun-B even 30 min after single weighing. Nonetheless, certain additional c-fos and jun-B expressions were observed in three genotypes of the mice that experienced several sessions of motor tasks 24 h after stationary rota-rod task and on days 1 and 5 after rota-rod tasks, but no significant differences in expressions after the running rota-rod tasks were observed among the three genotypes. In addition, there may be some differences 24 h after the stationary rota-rod task between the naive mice and the mice that experienced several sessions of motor tasks.

Neuronal activity regulates Matrin 3 levels and function in a calcium-dependent manner through calpain cleavage and calmodulin binding

“…These observations suggest that differences in Purkinje cell activity may partially explain disparities in MATR3 abundance noted in previous studies 43 . Future experiments may examine the behavioral threshold required to drive MATR3 clearance in Purkinje neurons, perhaps through motor tasks 69 . Intriguingly, a knock-in mouse homozygous for the S85C mutation exhibited markedly reduced MATR3 staining in Purkinje cells from an early timepoint followed by age-dependent Purkinje cell loss 44 .…”

Cerebrocortical activation following unilateral labyrinthectomy in mice characterized by whole-brain clearing: implications for sensory reweighting

“…In this study, we employed Arc-dVenus transgenic (Tg) mice, in which activated neurons were visualized using fluorescence. While Arc is not expressed in the cerebellum 13 , which is an essential site in the cerebellum-brainstem pathway for vestibular compensation, it does not interfere with the investigation of cerebral cortex mechanisms of sensory reweighting following vestibular injuries. Clear, Unobstructed Brain/Body Imaging Cocktails and Computational Analysis (CUBIC), and the light sheet fluorescence (LSF) microscope method enable tissue clearing with chemical reagents and 3D imaging of the whole brain 14 , 15 .…”