Analysis of immunoreactivity of NOS isoforms (nNOS, eNOS, iNOS) in hippocampus of young rats classified as good and poor learners

Download

index.pdf

Date

2012

Author

Keçecioğlu, Ekin

Metadata

Show full item record

Item Usage Stats

210
views

101
downloads

Despite very extensive studies on molecular mechanisms of learning and memory formation it is little known about individual variation in the learning skills within a random animal population and about the differences in the brain biochemistry behind this variation. In the present study, we have focused on the expression and distribution of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), one of the molecules implemented in activity-dependent neuroplasticity, in the rat hippocampus, the structure critical for episodic memory in humans and animals. The aim of the present study was to investigate the differences in expression of three different NOS isoforms: neural (n), epithelial (e), and inducible (i), in four hippocampal subregions (CA1, CA3, DG, and hilus) between Wistar rats classified on the basis of their performance in partially baited 12-arm radial maze as “good” and “poor” learners. The NOS isoforms were visualized on coronal hippocampal sections using fluorescent immunohistochemistry technique and n- and eNOS images were processed using ImageJ software, while iNOS immunoreactivity (IR) was assessed by counting immunoreactive cells. In this study, overall hippocampal levels of nNOS were significantly higher than those of eNOS and iNOS. The level of n and eNOS was higher in CA1 compared to DG/hilus areas, but lower than that in CA3 region. The expression of iNOS was the highest in CA1 and the lowest in hilus region. nNOS IR was significantly higher in “poor” than in “good” learners but only in CA1 region. No significant between-group differences were found in eNOS expression. iNOS expression was higher in “poor” learners but it did not reach the required significance level.

Subject Keywords

Rats, Rats, Hippocampus (Brain)., Nitric oxide., Immunohistochemistry.

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12614994/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/21922

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis

Suggestions

OpenMETU
Core

Study on the molecular basis of individual variation in spatial memory in rats Gökçek Saraç, Çiğdem; Jakubowska Doğru, Ewa; Adalı, Orhan; Department of Biology (2012) Despite very extensive studies related to molecular processes underlying memory formation, still little known about the potential differences in the brain biochemistry between “good” and “poor” learners belonging to a random population of young animals. In the present study, an attempt was taken to correlate the individual variation in short- and long-term spatial memory in three different lines of young, healthy rats: inbred Wistar (W), outcrossed Wistar/Spraque Dawley (W/S) and pigmented Long-Evans rats, ...
Relationship between the hippocampal expression of selected cytochrome P450 isoforms and the animal performance in the hippocampus-dependent learning task Gjota-Ergin, Sena; Gokcek-Sarac, Cigdem; Adalı, Orhan; Jakubowska-Dogru, Ewa (2018-04-23) Despite very extensive studies on the molecular mechanisms of memory formation, relatively little is known about the molecular correlates of individual variation in the learning skills within a random population of young normal subjects. The role of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in the brain also remains poorly understood. On the other hand, these enzymes are known to be related to the metabolism of substances important for neural functions including steroids, fatty acids, and retinoic acid. In the present ...
Hippocampal expression of selected cytochrome P450 isoforms during spatial learning in rats Gjota Ergin, Sena; Jakubowska Doğru, Ewa; Gökçek Saraç, Çiğdem; Department of Biochemistry (2016) Despite very extensive studies on the molecular mechanisms of memory formation, it is still little known about the molecular correlates of individual variation in the learning skills within a random population of young normal subjects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of different Cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms in the rat hippocampus at different stages of place learning in young Sprague-Dawley rats classified as “good” or “poor” learners. Up-to-date, it is little known about C...
Correlation between hippocampal levels of neural, epithelial and inducible NOS and spatial learning skills in rats Gokcek-Sarac, Cigdem; Karakurt, Serdar; Adalı, Orhan; Jakubowska-Dogru, Ewa (2012-12-01) In the present study, to better understand the role of different nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms in hippocampus-dependent forms of learning, we examined the expression of neural, endothelial, and inducible NOS in the hippocampus of young-adult rats classified as "poor" and "good" learners on the basis of their performance in the partially baited 12-arm radial maze. Taking into consideration strain-dependent differences in learning skills and NOS expression, experiments were performed on two different l...
Comparison of spatial learning in the partially baited radial-arm maze task between commonly used rat strains: Wistar, Spargue-Dawley, Long-Evans, and outcrossed Wistar/Sprague-Dawley Gokcek-Sarac, Cigdem; Wesierska, Malgorzata; Jakubowska-Dogru, Ewa (2015-03-01) Strain-related differences in animals' cognitive ability affect the outcomes of experiments and may be responsible for discrepant results obtained by different research groups. Therefore, behavioral phenotyping of laboratory animals belonging to different strains is important. The aim of the present study was to compare the variation in allothetic visuospatial learning in most commonly used laboratory rat strains: inbred Wistar (W) and Sprague-Dawley (SD), outcrossed Wistar/Sprague-Dawley (W/SD), and outbre...

Citation Formats

E. Keçecioğlu, “Analysis of immunoreactivity of NOS isoforms (nNOS, eNOS, iNOS) in hippocampus of young rats classified as good and poor learners,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2012.