Cystatin C, a protease inhibitor, in degenerating rat hippocampal neurons following transient forebrain ischemia.
Cystatin C, a cysteine protease inhibitor produced by the choroid plexus and found in CSF at high concentrations, may have an important role in brain injury. We used the two-vessel occlusion model with hypotension to induce transient forebrain ischemia (TFI) in rats for 10 min and then examined cystatin C immuno-like reactivity (CC-IR) after 1, 3, 7 and 14 days of recovery. Our results reveal that CC-IR was minimal or absent in the hippocampus of normal and 1 day post-ischemic animals. However, CC-IR was present in CA1 pyramidal cells and a small number of reactive glia of the stratum radiatum (SR) and stratum oriens (SO) at 3, 7 and 14 days post-ischemia. Histological assessment of the hippocampus indicates that CC-IR was localized in morphologically degenerative neurons. This distinct temporal expression of cystatin C in the rat hippocampus is concurrent with delayed neuronal death following TFI. Thus, these results indicate that cystatin C and/or its substrates may be important components of the post-ischemic neurodegenerative and repair process.
Palm
D E
DE
Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, Providence 02903, USA.
Knuckey
N W
NW
Primiano
M J
MJ
Spangenberger
A G
AG
Johanson
C E
CE
D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D055316:Cystatin C; D015891:Cystatins / Q000502:physiology*; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000098:blood supply; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins; C525032:Cst3 protein, rat; D055316:Cystatin C; D015891:Cystatins; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins