Zt. Chen et al., Nuclear factor-kappa B-like activity increases in murine cerebral cortex after sleep deprivation, AM J P-REG, 45(6), 1999, pp. R1812-R1818
Citations number
45
Categorie Soggetti
Physiology
Journal title
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-REGULATORY INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
Several well-defined sleep regulatory substances, e.g., interleukin-1 beta,
activate the heterodimeric transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF
-kappa B). Several substances that inhibit sleep, e.g., interleukin-4, inhi
bit NF-kappa B activation. NF-kappa B activation promotes production of sev
eral additional substances thought to be involved in sleep regulation, e.g.
, nitric oxide. We investigated, therefore, whether there are diurnal rhyth
ms of NF-kappa B activation in brain and changes in the activation after sl
eep deprivation. Mice were kept on a 12:12-h light-dark cycle. In one exper
iment, groups of mice were killed every 3 h across the 24-h cycle. In anoth
er experiment, mice were killed at 1500 after 6 h of sleep deprivation, and
a group of control mice were killed at the same time. Nuclear proteins wer
e extracted from each brain tissue sample, and NF-kappa B-like activity was
determined with an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. In cerebral corte
x, but not other areas of brain, there was a diurnal rhythm in NF-kappa B-l
ike activation; highest levels were found during the light period. NF-kappa
B-like activation was higher in cerebral cortex after sleep deprivation co
mpared with values obtained from control mice. The results are consistent w
ith the hypothesis that sleep regulation involves multiple gene events, som
e of which include enhanced production of sleep regulatory substances, the
actions of which involve NF-kappa B activation.