BEHAVIORAL SENSITIZATION IN 6-HYDROXYDOPAMINE-LESIONED RATS IS RELATED TO COMPOSITIONAL CHANGES OF THE AP-1 TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR - EVIDENCEFOR INDUCTION OF FOSB-RELATED AND JUND-RELATED PROTEINS

Rats with unilateral dopamine denervation exhibit turning behaviour in response to the selective D1 agonist SKF 38393 only after a previous exposure to dopamine agonists. We demonstrate here that this 'priming' phenomenon is related to both an increased expression of the pre-exis ting AP-1 complex and the occurrence of novel AP-1 complexes which are formed by FosB- and JunD-related proteins. While the former protein i s expressed as a consequence of the dopamine denervation, the latter i s related to the first exposure to a dopamine agonist. Pre-treatment w ith MK-801, an antagonist for glutamatergic receptors, prevents both t he priming development and the AP-1 compositional changes. Rotational behaviour induced by SKF 38393 closely correlates with the presence of the priming AP-I complexes, regardless of the capability of the D1 ag onist to induce the immediate-early gene cFos. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scien ce B.V.