Expression Patterns of miR-124, miR-134, miR-132, and miR-21 in an Immature Rat Model and Children with Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is a particularly devastating form of human epilepsy with significant incidence of medical intractability. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small, noncoding RNAs that regulate the posttranscriptional expression of protein-coding mRNAs, which may have key roles in the pathogenesis of MTLE development. To study the dynamic expression patterns of brain-specific miR-124 and miR-134 and inflammation-related miR-132 and miR-21, we performed qPCR on the hippocampi of immature rats at 25 days of age. Expressions were monitored in the three stages of MTEL and in the control hippocampal tissues corresponding to the same timeframes. A similar expression method was applied to hippocampi obtained from children with MTLE and normal controls. The expression patterns of miR-124 and miR-134 nearly showed the same dynamics in the three stages of MTLE development. On the other hand, miR-132 and miR-21 showed significant upregulation in acute and chronic stages, while in the latent stage, miR-132 was upregulated and miR-21 was downregulated. The four miRs were upregulated in hippocampal tissues obtained from children with MTLE. The significant upregulation of miR-124 and miR-134 in the seizure-related stages and children suggested that both can be potential targets for anticonvulsant drugs in the epileptic developing brains, while the different expression patterns of miR-132 and miR-21 may suggest different functions in MTLE pathogenesis.