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Neuronal NOS inhibitor that reduces oxidative DNA lesions and neuronal sensitivity increases the expression of intact c-fos transcripts after brain injury

  • Original Paper
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Journal of Biomedical Science

Abstract

In response to oxidative stress, the ischemic brain induces immediate early genes when its nuclear genes contain gene damage. Antioxidant that reduces gene damage also reduces cell death. To study the mechanism of neuronal sensitivity, we investigated the transcription of the c-fos gene after brain injury of the ischemia-reperfusion type using focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in Long-Evans hooded rats. We observed a significant (p<0.01) increase in c-fos mRNA in the ischemic cortex immediately after brain injury. However, the c-fos transcript was sensitive to RNase A protection assay (RPA) upon reperfusion. The transcript became significantly resistant to RPA (42%, p<0.03) when 3-bromo-7-nitroindazole (25 mg/kg, i.p.), known to abolish nitric oxide, gene damage and neuronal sensitivity, was injected. Our data suggest that neuronal nitric oxide synthase and aberrant mRNA from genes with oxidative damage could be associated with neuronal sensitivity.

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  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and the Cardiovascular Disease Program of the Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tex., USA

    Jiankun Cui & Philip K. Liu PhD

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  1. Jiankun Cui
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Cui, J., Liu, P.K. Neuronal NOS inhibitor that reduces oxidative DNA lesions and neuronal sensitivity increases the expression of intact c-fos transcripts after brain injury. J Biomed Sci 8, 336–341 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02258375

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02258375

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