NARINE OCCLUSION DECREASES BASAL LEVELS OF FOS PROTEIN IN THE CEREBRAL-CORTEX OF THE LIZARD PODARCIS-HISPANICA

Immunocytochemical study of cerebral cortex of the lizard Podarcis hispanica using an antibody directed to the M peptide of the rat c-Fos protein showed a distinct pattern of Fos distribution. Abundant Fos-immunoreactive neuronal nuclei were detected in the cell layers of the medial, the dorsal and the lateral cortices, whereas only a few nuclei were found in the cell layer of the dorsomedial cortex. The Fos immunoreactivity was characterized by Western blot analysis of nuclear extracts from lizard brain and showed a distinct band with an apparent molecular weight of 30,000. In band-shift assays, nuclear extracts from lizard brain were shown to contain AP-1 complexes. The basal expression of Fos immunoreactivity is related to sensory olfactory input in the cerebral cortex of the lizard since experiments with olfactory-deprived animals resulted in a complete absence of Fos immunoreactivity in the cortical areas.