MESSENGER-RNA DIFFERENTIAL DISPLAY REVEALS KROX-20 AS A NEURAL PLASTICITY-REGULATED GENE IN THE RAT HIPPOCAMPUS

The prolonged maintenance of hippocampal long-term potentiation depend s on de novo protein and RNA synthesis, indicating an involvement of a ltered gene expression in long-lasting plastic changes in synaptic eff icacy. We have used an mRNA differential display technique to identify a set of genes that are induced by neural activity in the rat hippoca mpus. Sixteen independent cDNAs were isolated whose mRNA level was mar kedly modulated by convulsive seizure. One of these encodes Krox-20, a zinc finger DNA binding protein. High frequency tetanic stimulation o f perforant pathway, which elicited a persistent long-term potentiatio n (>10 h), rapidly induced expression of krox-20 mRNA in the hippocamp us of urethane-anesthetized rat. The increase in krox-20 mRNA was tran sient and NMDA receptor-dependent. These results suggest a role for kr ox-20 in the maintenance of long-term potentiation. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.