Pattern of distribution and localization of VILIP-1, calcium-saesing receptor and metabotropic glutamate receptor in hippocampal tissues from patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

Author(s)

Paula Hespanholo Nascimento

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Ciências Médicas
• Defense date: 2012-06-03

Examining board members

Marino Muxfeldt Biachin; Elenice Aparecida de Moraes Ferrari

• Advisor: Lília Freira Rodrigues de Souza Li

Abstract

Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is associated to temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and cause altered expression of neurotransmitter receptors such as metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1). However, whether its expression level is increased or decreased in temporal lobe epilepsy is still controversial. Calcium-sensing receptor (CASR), another receptor from the same family of mGluR1, is expressed in hippocampus, but its role in brain is unknown. VILIP-1, a neuronal calcium sensing protein (NCS) is expressed predominantly in brain and in humans its expression was identified by immunohistochemistry in subpopulations of pyramidal neurons in CA1 and CA4 in hippocampus. Activation of mGluR1 is suggested that may regulates VILIP-1 expression during hippocampal plasticity. However, there are no studies associating VILIP-1 and hippocampal sclerosis. We hypothesized that not only mGluR1 but also VILIP and CASR is involved in hippocampal sclerosis in TLE patients. The objective of this study was to analyze the pattern of expression of VILIP-1, CASR and mGluR1 in hippocampal tissues from patients with TLE who underwent amygdalohippocampectomy. Our results demonstrated the presence of hippocampal sclerosis in hippocampal tissues in patients with TLE with reduction in the number of neurons in CA1 and gliosis. By the expression analysis of the transcripts of VILIP-1, CASR and mGluR1 in total hippocampus using real time PCR, we did not find differences on mRNAS expression of patients compared with controls. However, when we compared the protein expression from hippocampi from patients with controls, by immunohistochemistry, we not only found an important reduction on neuron cell number in patients, but also an important reduction on positively stained neurons for VILIP-1, CASR and mGluR1, suggesting that not only mGluR1, but also CASR and VILIP1 are associated to HS in patients with TLE (AU)