title: Levels of the synaptic protein X11 alpha/mint1 are increased in hippocampus of rats with epilepsy.
abstract: X11 alpha or Mint1 is a protein containing an N-terminal sequence, which binds to Munc-18 protein, a middle phosphotyrosine-binding domain (PTB) and two C-terminal PDZ (Post-synaptic density/Discs large/Zone Occludens-1) domains. The PDZ domains, which mediate protein-protein interactions have been shown to be involved in the organization of synaptic signaling pathways. Mint1 plays an important role in vesicle synaptic transport toward the active zone at the pre-synaptic site, and also participates in the transport of NR2B subunit of the NMDA receptor, to the post-synaptic site. To investigate the participation and distribution of this protein in the hippocampal subfield of rats submitted to the pilocarpine model of epilepsy, Mint1 was analyzed using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Animals of 5 h of status epilepticus showed decreased levels of this protein in the hippocampus when compared to the control animals. In contrast, animals from seizure-free period (silent group) and during spontaneous seizures phase (chronic group) showed increased Mint1 immunostaining in all hippocampal subfields, mainly in the dentate gyrus, when compared to the control group. The blotting confirmed the results obtained by immunohistochemistry. The present work suggests that Mint1 may be related to hippocampal plasticity during epileptogenesis in the pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Neurociência, Disciplina de Neurologia Experimental, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Botucatu 862, Ed Leal Prado CEP-04023-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carla Alessandra
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Scorza
authors.forename: Yaima del Carmem
authors.initials: Ydel C
authors.lastname: Garrido
authors.forename: Ricardo Mario
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Arida
authors.forename: Debora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Amado
authors.forename: Esper Abrão
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Cavalheiro
authors.forename: Maria da Graça
authors.initials: Mda G
authors.lastname: Naffah-Mazzacoratti
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000378:metabolism*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; C513071:Apba1 protein, rat; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins