Analysis of candidate plasticity genes in visual cortex

Analysis of Candidate Plasticity Genes in Visual Cortex Paul J. Kiser April 22, 2010 The goals of this dissertation is to further the understanding of the roles of two genes identified by differential display polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) of cat visual cortex as candidate genes to playa role in visual cortical plasticity. Analysis of normal and dark rearing of cats at five and twenty weeks identified Dab-I, the mammalian homologue of the disabled-l gene found in drosophila and Munc13-3, the mammalian homologue of the c. elegans "uncoordinated" or unc-13 gene. Dab-l transcription analysis showed a pattern of high levels during the peak (5 weeks) and low levels at the nadir (20 weeks) of the critical period in normally reared animals with opposite transcription levels in dark reared animals (the "plasticity" pattern). Munc13-3 showed the opposite pattern with low levels of transcription at the peak of the critical period and high levels at the nadir in normally reared and opposite pattern in dark reared animals ("anti-plasticity" patterm). This project extended the mRNA findings on Western blot analysis to study protein expression of both genes in the visual cortex during the critical period in both cats and mice. This analysis confirmed both Dab-l and Munc13-3 as candidate plasticity