AI Article Synopsis
- tPA, a serine protease, is involved in altering the extracellular matrix, which affects structural changes in the cerebral cortex, particularly in the visual cortex.
- Research shows that tPA is also present in the somatosensory cortex, with its expression levels changing based on sensory experiences, such as whisker trimming from birth.
- Chronic sensory deprivation increases tPA levels, which remain elevated even after restoring sensory input, indicating that tPA is important for structural remodeling in response to sensory experiences.
Article Abstract
It has been suggested that tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), a serine protease, plays a key role in regulating the extracellular matrix core proteins, thereby impacting the structural plasticity in the cerebral cortex. Much is known about its role in regulating plasticity in the visual cortex. However, its permissive role has not been demonstrated to generalize to other cerebral cortical areas. By utilizing a combination of immunofluorescent histochemistry and confocal microscopy, we demonstrate that endogenous tPA is indeed present in the somatosensory cortex, and its expression is experience-dependent. Chronic sensory deprivation induced by whisker trimming from birth for one month leads to increased tPA immunoreactivity in all layers of the barrel cortex. Furthermore, tPA immunoreactivity remains high even after sensation has been restored to the mystacial pad (by allowing whiskers to grow back to full length for one month). Our results suggest that tPA levels in the cerebral cortex are regulated by sensory experience, and play a key role in regulating structural remodeling in the cerebral cortex.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2015.05.050 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!