title: Anomalous levels of Cl- transporters in the hippocampal subiculum from temporal lobe epilepsy patients make GABA excitatory.
abstract: The mRNA levels of NKCC1, an inwardly directed Na(+), K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter that facilitates the accumulation of intracellular Cl(-), and of KCC2, an outwardly directed K(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter that extrudes Cl(-), were studied in surgically resected brain specimens from drug-resistant temporal lobe (TL) epilepsy (TLE) patients. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses of the mRNAs extracted from the human TLE-associated brain regions revealed an up-regulation of NKCC1 mRNA and a down-regulation of KCC2 mRNA in the hippocampal subiculum, compared with the hippocampus proper or the TL neocortex, suggesting an abnormal transcription of Cl(-) transporters in the TLE subiculum. In parallel experiments, cell membranes isolated from the same TLE-associated brain regions were injected into Xenopus oocytes that rapidly incorporated human GABA(A) receptors into their surface membrane. The GABA currents elicited in oocytes injected with membranes from the subiculum had a more depolarized reversal potential (E(GABA)) compared with the hippocampus proper or the neocortex. The NKCC1 blocker bumetanide or a temperature decrease of 10 degrees C shifted the GABA-current E(GABA) more negative in oocytes injected with membranes from TLE hippocampal subiculum, matching the E(GABA) of TL neocortex-injected oocytes. We conclude that the anomalous expression of both Cl(-) transporters, NKCC1 and KCC2 [corrected] in TLE hippocampal subiculum probably causes altered Cl(-) transport in the "epileptic" neurons, as revealed in the microtransplanted Xenopus oocytes, and renders GABA aberrantly "exciting," a feature that may contribute to the precipitation of epileptic seizures.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Pasteur, Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti and Dipartimento di Fisiologia Umana e Farmacologia, Centro di Eccellenza Biologia e Medicina Molecolare, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy. eleonora.palma@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amici
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sobrero
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spinelli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Angelantonio
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ragozzino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mascia
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scoppetta
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miledi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eusebi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002034:Bumetanide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D049993:Sodium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D049992:Sodium Chloride Symporters / Q000235:genetics*; D014982:Xenopus laevis; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D049993:Sodium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors; D049992:Sodium Chloride Symporters; D002034:Bumetanide; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid