Synaptic activity results in increased transcription as detected by the brain-specific probe pEL-48 in Torpedo marmorata.

The cloning of sequences expressed exclusively in neurons that use acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter resulted in multiple probes. One of them, pEL-48, was used to detect changes in transcription patterns in the electric lobes of Torpedo marmorata. Fish were stimulated either electrically or mechanically to induce discharge of the electric organs; they were killed after different poststimulation time intervals. The RNA isolated from the electric lobes was quantified using Northern blots and pEL-48 as a probe; distinct changes in the quantity of pEL-48 complementary RNA could be detected. Partial sequencing of the clone pEL-48 revealed an unusual primary sequence with numerous short open reading frames, coding for hitherto unknown polypeptides.