Fig. 1.

Basal level of the luciferase reporter gene and Smad signaling in SBE-luc mice (T9-7F) and activation by excitotoxic injury. (A) Luciferase activity in brain regions of SBE-luc mice (n = 5). HP, hippocampus; CX, cortex; BS, brainstem; TH, thalamus; CB, cerebellum. (B) Bioluminescence of a 2-mm-thick coronal brain slice rapidly isolated from a SBE-luc mouse. The slice (Left) was bathed in tissue culture medium and luciferin, and bioluminescence was measured. The image from the brain atlas (Right) is shown to illustrate the localization and shape of hippocampus in the slice. (C and D) Sagittal vibratome sections from wild-type mice treated with saline (C) or KA (D) were stained with an antibody against Smad2P. Insets show CA3 region at higher magnification. (E and F) Sections from KA-treated mice were labeled for Smad2P (green) in combination with GFAP (red, E) or NeuN (red, F) by using fluorescently labeled secondary antibodies. The merged images are shown at Right.