Jun, Fos, and CREB/ATF transcription factors in the brain: Control of gene expression under normal and pathophysiological conditions

The expression and activation of transcription factors and the control of gene transcription in the nervous system is a recent and rapidly expanding field in neurosciences. This research area may provide insights concerning the information transfer that arises from postsynaptic potentials or ligand-coupling of membrane receptors and terminates in gene expression, Visualization of both de novo synthesis of inducible transcription factors (ITFs) and phosphorylation of preexisting transcription factors have been used to mark neurons, pathways, and networks excited by various stimuli, This article summarizes basics of the transcription process and the complex functions of Jun, Fos, and CREB/ATF proteins, as well as the use of ITFs as experimental instruments in neurophysiology and neurobiology. The major focus is on the alterations in ITF expression following acute or chronic pathophysiological stimuli as mirrors of alterations in neuronal programs underlying adaptation, dysfunctions, or the development of diseases affecting the nervous system.