Abundant expression of c-Jun in guinea pig sympathetic ganglia under basal conditions and allergen challenge.

Airway hyperresponsiveness, a keystone of allergic asthma, is mediated by the extrinsic airway innervation. As pathophysiological stimuli can induce the expression JUN proteins, which belong to the immediate early gene (IEG) family of transcription factors, the expression of c-Jun was examined under basal conditions and allergen challenge in guinea pig paravertebral and prevertebral sympathetic ganglia by quantitative double-labeling immunohistochemistry. C-Jun immunoreactivity was seen in 78.4 +/- 3.5% under normal and 82.6 +/- 4.6% under allergen-challenged conditions of protein-gene product (PGP) 9.5-positive sympathetic neurons of guinea pig superior cervical ganglia and 73.1 +/- 2.8% (normal) and 76.1 +/- 3.5% (allergen) of stellate ganglion neurons. In the coeliac-superior mesenteric ganglion, 59.5 +/- 5.0% (normal) and 57.5 +/- 4.4% (allergen) of the PGP 9.5-positive sympathetic neurons were labeled for c-Jun. The high basal levels of c-Jun expression indicate that the presence of c-Jun is not exclusively related to noxious stimulation such as allergic airway inflammation in the guinea pig.