Increases in mRNA expression for Tα1-tubulin following systemic administration of kainate in rat

Understanding of cytoskeletal protein metabolism may be important in considering pathomechanism of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The expression of mRNA for T alpha1-tubulin, a cytoskeletal protein, was studied after the systemic administration of kainate in rats. T alpha1-tubulin mRNA increased significantly in the bilateral dentate gyrus and fronto-parietal cortex 24 h after the kainate injection. One week after kainate administration, however, T alpha1-tubulin mRNA levels in CA3 and the hilus of the hippocampus, and fronto-parietal cortex decreased significantly, which might be related to the neural loss subsequent to the prolonged limbic seizures. These results reveal that the microtubule formation contributes to the remodeling of the neural networks in which dentate gyrus participates, which may be based on the neural mechanisms in the regeneration of brain.