Memories of fos

Induction of c-fos expression occurs following treatment of diverse cell types with agents that trigger mitogenesis, differentiation or membrane depolarization. We suggest that c-fos may be regarded as a marker for a set of rapidly induced genes (termed cellular immediate-early genes) whose function is to couple extracellular stimulation to long-term responses. In the brain, these genes may contribute to the adaptive alterations involved in neuronal plasticity.