title: Elevated Expression of VEGF-C and Its Receptors, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3, in Patients with Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.
abstract: Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is a frequent form of focal intractable epilepsy in adults. We previously reported overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and its receptors, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3, in epilepsy-associated tuberous sclerosis complex. To identify whether VEGF-C and its receptors are involved in epileptogenesis of MTLE, we investigated the levels and expression pattern of VEGF-C and its receptors in temporal neocortex and hippocampus (HPC) from 28 patients with MTLE and ten control (CTX) subjects. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting results revealed upregulated mRNA and immunoreactive protein levels of VEGF-C, VEGFR-2, and VEGFR-3 in the MTLE group compared to the control groups. Immunohistochemistry and double-labeled immunofluorescence showed that VEGF-C was highly expressed in neurons and astrocytes, including reactive astrocytes and vascular endothelial cells, VEGFR-2 was expressed at a high level in reactive astrocytes and vascular endothelial cells, but not in neurons, whereas VEGFR-3 was only overexpressed in reactive astrocytes. Taken together, these findings suggest that VEGF-C and its receptors, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3, may contribute to the epileptogenesis of MTLE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 2-V Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China.
authors.forename: Fei-Ji
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 2-V Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Jia
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 2-V Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xian, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 2-V Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 2-V Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China.
authors.forename: Shi-Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Lanzhou General Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jiao-Jiang
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Department, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 2-V Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China. huiyang64@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 2-V Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China. cqzhang@tmmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Chun-Qing
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019579:Neocortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3
keywords: Hippocampus; Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy; Receptors; Temporal neocortex; Vascular endothelial growth factor C