title: Cystatin C expression is associated with granule cell dispersion in epilepsy.
abstract: Human temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is associated with cellular alterations (eg, hilar cell death, neurogenesis, and granule cell dispersion) in the dentate gyrus but their underlying molecular mechanism are not known. We previously demonstrated increased expression of cystatin C, a protease inhibitor linked to both neurodegeneration and neurogenesis, during epileptogenesis in the rat hippocampus. Here, we investigated cystatin C expression in the dentate gyrus in chronic epilepsy and its association with neuronal loss and neurogenesis. In both rats with epilepsy and human patients with TLE, cystatin C expression was increased in glial cells in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus, being most prominent in cases with granule cell dispersion. In patients with TLE, high cystatin C expression associated with greater numbers of polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule-positive newborn cells in the molecular layer, although the overall number was decreased, indicating that the newborn cells migrate to abnormal locations in the epileptic dentate gyrus. These data thus demonstrate that cystatin C expression is altered during the chronic phase of epilepsy and suggest that cystatin C plays a role in network reorganization in the epileptic dentate gyrus, especially in granule cell dispersion and guidance of migrating newborn granule cells.
authors.affiliation: A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Terhi J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Pirttilä
authors.forename: Anni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manninen
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jutila
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nissinen
authors.forename: Reetta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kälviäinen
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vapalahti
authors.forename: Arto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Immonen
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paljärvi
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karkola
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Alafuzoff
authors.forename: Esa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mervaala
authors.forename: Asla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pitkänen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D055316:Cystatin C; D015891:Cystatins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1 / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C525030:CST3 protein, human; C525032:Cst3 protein, rat; D055316:Cystatin C; D015891:Cystatins; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1; D012794:Sialic Acids; C103469:polysialyl neural cell adhesion molecule; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase