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Luciferase imaging reveals distinct patterns of gene regulation in live brain slices Laura A Sigworth; Lujian Liao; Michael E. Geusz* Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA      *(mgeusz@bgnet.bgsu.edu) Immediate-early genes (IEGs) respond rapidly following cell stimulation and have multiple regulatory elements that detect depolarization of the cell membrane, intracellular Ca2+ signals, and inflammation acting through cytokines. IEGs are expressed in spontaneous near 24-hour rhythms in the mammalian biological clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. These circadian rhythms can be recorded from brain slice cultures made from transgenic mice in which IEG promoters drive expression from the firefly luciferase gene. The enhancer/promoter of the human cytomegalovirus immediate-early gene 1 produced bright signals from particular cells in these cultures, and gene expression changed independently in nearby cells. Culture conditions altered the pattern of gene expression suggesting that stress-activated signals acting through particular gene regulatory elements can be imaged. Signals driven by the promoter from the IEG c-fos showed a more diffuse pattern. Bioluminescent brain slice cultures display the dynamics of gene expression and may provide selective assays for several neuroactive substances. [Poster: geusz.michae.50442]

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