Expression of Laminin β1 and Integrin α2 in the Anterior Temporal Neocortex Tissue of Patients With Intractable Epilepsy

We investigated the expression of laminin beta 1 and integrin alpha 2 in the anterior temporal neocortex tissue of patients with intractable epilepsy and explored the role of these molecules in the pathogenesis of this disease. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were used to test the expression of laminin beta 1 and integrin alpha 2 in samples (from the brain bank of our department, n = 32) of surgically removed anterior temporal neocortex tissues from intractable epilepsy patients, and the results were compared with those of controls (n = 10). We found that laminin beta 1 and integrin alpha 2 protein expression was significantly increased in the anterior temporal neocortex as compared with controls (immunohistochemistry optical density: laminin beta 1 = 0.36 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.10 +/- 0.03 for control; integrin alpha 2 = 0.42 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.04 +/- 0.01 for control; p < .05). Immunofluorescence staining indicated that laminin beta 1 and integrin alpha 2 accumulated in the plasma membrane and cytoplasm, with strong fluorescence intensity in the anterior temporal neocortex tissue of patients with intractable epilepsy. Thus, our work demonstrates that laminin beta 1 and integrin alpha 2 expression is elevated in the anterior temporal neocortex tissue from patients with intractable epilepsy.