Focal increases in [3H]forskolin and [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding in the rat brain following lesions of the medial septum.
Quantitative autoradiography of [3H]forskolin binding to GS-adenylate cyclase and [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) binding to protein kinase C (PKC) was examined 21 days following ibotenate lesion of the rat medial septum. A significant reduction (-19%) in [3H]forskolin binding was observed at the lesion site in the medial septum compared to the sham-treated group. A significant increase in [3H]forskolin binding was demonstrated in the polymorph layer of the detante gyrus (19%) in animals with medial septal lesions whilst in all other brain regions, [3H]forskolin binding remained unaltered post-lesion. [3H]PDBu binding was significantly increased in the superficial layers (I-III) of entorhinal cortex (27%) following lesion of the medial septum, and remained unaltered in all other brain regions post-lesion. The nature and location of the alterations (namely elevations) in ligand binding sites remote from the lesioned area are supportive of plastic modifications of second messenger systems following denervation.