Injury-specific expression of activating transcription factor-3 in retinal ganglion cells and its colocalized expression with phosphorylated c-Jun.

Abstract

The transcription factor ATF-3 is specifically induced upon optic nerve injury and colocalizes with p-c-Jun in surviving ganglion cells. These findings suggest that both ATF-3 and c-Jun are crucial to trigger various transcriptional responses and may act synergistically during the survival phase of the optic nerve in the injury model.