Fos and Jun proteins homo- or heterodimerize to form functional AP-1 transcription factors. Drosophila mutants lacking either Jun or Fos display indistinguishable dorsal open phenotypes, indicating an essential function of both Jun and Fos for embryonic dorsal closure. Here we present experiments to determine the basis for this dual requirement. By combining mutant alleles and transgenes expres...

We examined the role of c-Fos in the differentiation of mature B cells into IgG-producing cells using transgenic mice carrying the c-fos gene under the control of the IFN-alpha/beta-inducible Mx promoter (Mx-c-fos) or the constitutive H-2Kb promoter (H2-c-fos). Splenic B cells from Mx-c-fos mice were cultured with LPS and rIL-4, and IgG1+ B cells were developed in the culture after day 3. When ...

We investigated the effects of sleep on wake-induced c-fos expression in the cerebral cortex of rats and c-fos-lacZ transgenic mice. In the cortex of rats, the levels of c-Fos, detected both by immunocytochemistry and Western blot, remained high during 6 or 12 hr of enforced wakefulness but declined rapidly (within 1 hr) with increasing time of recovery sleep. Similarly, in the transgenic mice ...

We have previously shown that c-Fos activates phospholipid synthesis through a mechanism independent of its genomic AP-1 activity. Herein, using PC12 cells induced to differentiate by nerve growth factor, the genomic effect of c-Fos in initiating neurite outgrowth is shown as distinct from its nongenomic effect of activating phospholipid synthesis and sustaining neurite elongation. Blocking c-F...

To determine whether c-fos is involved in avian leukosis virus-induced nephroblastoma, 28 tumors from chickens were analyzed for novel fos fragments. DNA from 1 of 16 clonal outgrowths (in chicken 6561) contained novel fos-related EcoRI and KpnI fragments which hybridized to both v-fos and viral probes. Oncogenicity tests using filtered 6561 tumor cell homogenates did not reveal a tumor-inducin...

The immediate early gene c-fos has long been known as a molecular marker of neural activity. The neuron's activity is transformed into intracellular calcium influx through NMDA receptors and L-type voltage sensitive calcium channels. For the transcription of c-fos, neural activity should be strong enough to activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway which shows low calci...

Kindling is a permanent form of brain change that results from repeated elicitation of epileptiform neural activity. c-fos has been proposed as the gene responsible for turning on molecular events that might underlie the long-term neural changes that occur during kindling. This study investigated the enhancement of c-fos levels following kindled seizures and the role of c-fos in the plastic cha...

BACKGROUND The gene encoding c-fos is an important factor in the pathogenesis of joint disease in patients with osteoarthritis. However, it is unknown whether the signal mechanism of c-fos acts in intervertebral disc (IVD) cells. We investigated whether c-fos is activated in relation to mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and the protein kinase C (PKC) pathway in nucleus pulposus (NP) cel...

We examined effects of c-fos overexpression on the development and property of peritoneal B-1 cells using transgenic (H2-c-fos) mice carrying the c-fos gene under the control of the constitutive H-2Kb promoter. The number of B-1b cells in the peritoneal cavity of H2-c-fos mice was 4-fold larger than that in control littermates. Although the numbers of total peritoneal B cells and B-1a cells wer...

The methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway is essential in most prokaryotes and some lower eukaryotes but absent from human cells, and is a validated target for antimicrobial drug development. The formation of MEP is catalyzed by 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR). MEP pathway genes have been identified in many category A and B biothreat agents, including Francisella tulare...