title: Aquaporin 1 and aquaporin 4 overexpression in bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a transgenic murine model and in cattle field cases.
abstract: Aquaporins (AQP) are a family of transmembrane proteins that act as water selective channels. AQP1 and AQP4 are widely expressed in the central nervous system where they play several roles. Overexpression of AQP has been reported in some human and animal transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, but information is scanty about their distribution in the central nervous system in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Double immunohistochemistry for AQP1, AQP4 and GFAP was developed in a transgenic mouse line overexpressing the bovine cellular prion protein (BoTg110), intracerebrally infected with cattle BSE. Western blot for AQP1 and AQP4, and immunohistochemistry for both AQP and GFAP were carried out in cases of BSE-diagnosed cattle as part of surveillance plan in Catalonia (Spain). A marked increase in AQP1 and AQP4 was observed in mice at the terminal stage of the disease, when they had a wide range of clinical signs, whereas no increase could be observed in the early stage before the onset of the clinical signs. In cattle which did not show evidence of clinical signs, both AQP already showed a great increase. The AQP overexpression correlated with GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes and PrPres deposition in both cases. The results of this study suggest that AQP overexpression in glial cells could lead to an imbalance in water and ion homeostasis which could contribute to triggering the typical histopathological changes of BSE.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Carme
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Raül
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tortosa
authors.forename: Agustín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Isidre
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.forename: Juan Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bassols
authors.forename: Martí
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pumarola
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051398:Aquaporin 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051401:Aquaporin 4 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002417:Cattle; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D016643:Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D018620:PrPSc Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: C496021:Aqp1 protein, mouse; C496031:Aqp4 protein, mouse; D051401:Aquaporin 4; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D018620:PrPSc Proteins; D051398:Aquaporin 1