Immunohistochemical study of flotillin-1 in the spinal cord of Lewis rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
We analyzed flotillin-1 expression in the spinal cords of Lewis rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Western blot analysis showed that flotillin-1 expression increased significantly in the spinal cords from rats at the peak stage of EAE compared with the levels in control animals (p<0.05) and declined thereafter. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that flotillin-1 was expressed constitutively in the gray matter (particularly in the dorsal horn) of the normal rat spinal cord and in some neurons and glial cells. In EAE lesions, flotillin-1 immunoreactivity was detected in some macrophages and astrocytes, in which cathepsin D, a lysosomal marker, was localized. In the spinal cord cells in EAE, there was increased expression of flotillin-1 above the constitutive expression of flotillin-1 in normal spinal cords. Taking all these findings into consideration, we postulate that expression of flotillin-1 begins to increase when EAE is initiated and that flotillin-1 contributes to the formation of phagosomes in affected cells in EAE.
Kim
Heechul
H
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Cheju National University, Jeju 690-756, South Korea.
Ahn
Meejung
M
Moon
Changjong
C
Matsumoto
Yoh
Y
Sung Koh
Chang
C
Shin
Taekyun
T
D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D002402:Cathepsin D / Q000378:metabolism; D053331:Ectodysplasins / Q000378:metabolism; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism*
D053331:Ectodysplasins; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C106354:flotillins; D002402:Cathepsin D