Fragmentation of protein kinase N (PKN) in the hydrocephalic rat brain

N Okii, T Amano, T Seki, H Matsubayashi… - Acta Histochemica et …, 2007 - jstage.jst.go.jp
N Okii, T Amano, T Seki, H Matsubayashi, H Mukai, Y Ono, K Kurisu, N Sakai
Acta Histochemica et Cytochemica, 2007jstage.jst.go.jp
Hydrocephalus was induced in rats by injecting kaolin into the cisterna magna.
Kaolininduced rats (n= 60) were divided into three groups according to the observation
period after treatment (group 1: 3–6 weeks, group 2: 7–12 weeks, and group 3: 13–18
weeks). Shamtreated control rats, injected with sterile saline (n= 20), were similarly divided
into three groups. Spatial learning ability was estimated by a modified water maze test.
Thereafter, brains were cut into slices and ventricular dilatation was estimated …
Hydrocephalus was induced in rats by injecting kaolin into the cisterna magna. Kaolininduced rats (n= 60) were divided into three groups according to the observation period after treatment (group 1: 3–6 weeks, group 2: 7–12 weeks, and group 3: 13–18 weeks). Shamtreated control rats, injected with sterile saline (n= 20), were similarly divided into three groups. Spatial learning ability was estimated by a modified water maze test. Thereafter, brains were cut into slices and ventricular dilatation was estimated. Fragmentation of PKN was observed by Western blotting in samples collected from the parietal cortex, striatum, septal nucleus, hippocampus, and periaqueductal gray matter. All kaolin-induced rats showed ventricular dilatation. Most of them showed less spatial learning ability than those of sham-treated controls. In most regions, fragmentation of PKN had occurred in a biphasic manner more frequently than that in controls. The appearance of PKN fragmentation in periaqueductal gray matter was correlated with the extent of ventricular dilation and spatial learning disability. These results revealed that PKN fragmentation was observed in rats with kaolin-induced hydrocephalus, models for chronically-damaged brain dysfunction, suggesting that persistent brain insult, such as apoptosis, had occurred in these models. PKN fragmentation could be a hallmark for evaluating morphological and functional damage of the hydrocephalus.
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