Selective induction of a heat shock gene in fibre tracts and cerebellar neurons of the rabbit brain detected by in situ hybridization.

In situ hybridization reveals striking regional differences in the expression of constitutive and inducible heat shock genes in the rabbit brain. Fibre tracts throughout the brain show a dramatic induction of heat shock mRNA after hyperthermia, a pattern consistent with a strong glial response to heat shock. While neurons in the cerebellum exhibit a marked induction of heat shock mRNA, neurons of the hippocampus do not. Constitutive expression of a heat shock gene is observed in neuronal laminae of the hippocampus and cerebellum.