NORTHERN ANALYSIS AND IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATION FOR EXPRESSION OF PROTEIN-KINASE-C ISOZYMES IN GERBIL BRAIN USING OLIGODEOXYRIBONUCLEOTIDE PROBES

Synthetic oligonucleotide probes based on cDNA sequences in rat were u tilized to examine the mRNA expression of six isoforms of protein kina se C in normal gerbil forebrain by using Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization and compared to that in normal rat forebrain. Dist inct transcripts were expressed in the gerbil brain for the PKC genes alpha, gamma, delta, epsilon, and zeta on Northern blot which were ess entially similar to those reported in the rat brain. The level of expr ession of PKC alpha was, however, lower than that in the rat brain. Th e transcripts for PKC beta in the gerbil brain were different from tho se in the rat brain and appeared as a faint band. In situ hybridizatio n revealed distinctive localization patterns of the isozymes with five (alpha, beta, gamma, epsilon, zeta) of them being expressed in the hi ppocampus, a region of particular interest in several aspects of neuro science research. The transcripts for the sixth gene, i.e., delta, wer e localized predominantly in the thalamus. The expression of PKC beta in the cortex and hippocampus of the gerbil was lower than that report ed in rat.