Abnormal Expression Of Methyl Cpg Binding Protein-2 In Intractable Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients And Experiment Animals

Methyl CpG binding protein-2(MeCP2) is a multifunctional nuclear protein. MeCP2 plays an important role in regulating dendritic morphology, mediating synaptic transmission, neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system(CNS).Objective: Our aim was investigate the expression of MeCP2 mRNA and protein in intractable temporal lobe epilepsy patients and experiment animals.Methods: Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry and double label immunofluorescence, we detected MeCP2 expression in 35 temporal neocortex tissue samples from patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy(TLE) and 14 histological normal temporal lobe tissue samples from the control group. We also examined the timing of MeCP2 expression in the hippocampus and adjacent cortex of rats with temporal lobe epilepsy(lithium chloride-pilocarpine model) at 1, 2, 7, 14, 30, and 60 days after kindling and the control group. Results: MeCP2 is expressed mainly in the nucleus of neurons, not expressed in astrocyte. MeCP2 expression was significantly higher in the TLE group and experiment animals group as compared with the control group. The expression of MeCP2 in the rat hippocampus and adjacent cortex after seizures gradually increased during the acute period(1, 2 days) and the latent period(7,14 days) but decreased during the chronic period(30,60 days).Conclusions: The up-regulation of MeCP2 in intractable TLE patients and experiment animals suggest that MeCP2 may involved in the pathogenesis of TLE.