Localization of cyclooxygenase-2 induced following traumatic spinal cord injury.
OBJECTIVE
Up-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a key enzyme in the synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs), is postulated to be involved in pathological processes of acute spinal cord injury (SCI). In the present study, we sought to clarify temporal and spatial expression patterns of the COX-2 gene induced in the spinal cord after traumatic insults using a weight-drop technique.


RESULTS
Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed that COX-2 transcription in the spinal cord began to increase within 30 min, peaked at 3 h after injury. Western blotting analysis indicated that the deglycosylated COX-2 protein significantly increased 6 h after injury. Double-immunofluorescent staining analysis showed that COX-2 immunoreactivity was present only in endothelial cells of blood vessels, but not in neurons, astrocytes, monocytes, macrophages, or microglia 6 h after injury.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggested that COX-2 gene induction seems not to require any new protein synthesis and that its expression in endothelial cells may be a component of an inflammatory process after traumatic SCI.
Adachi
Kayo
K
Joint Research Division for Therapies against Intractable Diseases, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan.
Yimin
Yu
Y
Satake
Kotaro
K
Matsuyama
Yukihiro
Y
Ishiguro
Naoki
N
Sawada
Makoto
M
Hirata
Yoko
Y
Kiuchi
Kazutoshi
K
D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D039481:CD11b Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000502:physiology*; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000201:enzymology*; D013997:Time Factors; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
D039481:CD11b Antigen; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; C489787:MAP2 protein, rat; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496318:Nos2 protein, rat; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases