Pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE), which results in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) in rodents, activates the JAK/STAT pathway. In the current study, we evaluate whether brief exposure to a selective inhibitor of the JAK/STAT pathway (WP1066) early after the onset of SE effects the severity of SE or reduces later spontaneous seizure frequency via inhibition of STAT3-regulated gene transcription. Rats that received systemic WP1066 or vehicle at the onset of SE were continuously video-EEG monitored during SE and for one month to assess seizure frequency over time. Protein and/or mRNA levels for pSTAT3, and STAT3-regulated genes including: ICER, Gabra1, c-myc, mcl-1, cyclin D1, and bcl-xl were evaluated in WP1066 and vehicle-treated rats during stages of epileptogenesis to determine the acute effects of WP1066 administration on SE and chronic epilepsy. WP1066 (two 50 mg/kg doses) administered within the first hour after onset of SE results in transient inhibition of pSTAT3 and long-term reduction in spontaneous seizure frequency WP1066 alters the severity of chronic epilepsy without affecting SE or cell death. Early WP1066 administration reduces known downstream targets of STAT3 transcription 24 hours after SE including cyclin D1 and mcl-1 levels, known for their roles in cell-cycle progression and cell survival, respectively. These findings uncover a potential effect of the JAK/STAT pathway after brain injury that is physiologically important and may provide a new therapeutic target that can be harnessed for the prevention of epilepsy development and/or progression.

The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A receptor (GABA(A)R) is responsible for most fast synaptic inhibition in the adult brain. The GABA(A)R protein is composed of multiple subunits that determine the distribution, properties, and dynamics of the receptor. Several studies have shown that the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JaK/STAT) and early growth response 3 (Egr3) signaling pathways can alter GABA(A)R subunit expression after status epilepticus (SE). In this study we investigated changes in these pathways after experimental TBI in the rat using a lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) model. Our results demonstrated changes in the expression of several GABA(A)R subunit levels after injury, including GABA(A)R α1 and α4 subunits. This change appears to be transcriptional, and there is an associated increase in the phosphorylation of STAT3, and an increase in the expression of Egr3 and inducible cAMP element repressor (ICER) after FPI. These findings suggest that the activation of the JaK/STAT and Egr3 pathways after TBI may regulate injury-related changes in GABA(A)R subunit expression.

Purpose Epileptogenesis is the process by which a brain becomes hyperexcitable and capable of generating recurrent spontaneous seizures. In humans, it has been hypothesized that following a brain insult there are a number of molecular and cellular changes that underlie the development of spontaneous seizures. Studies in animal models have shown that an injured brain may develop epileptiform activity before appearance of epileptic seizures and that the pathophysiology accompanying spontaneous seizures is associated with a dysfunction of GABAergic neurotransmission. Here, we analyzed the effects of status epilepticus on the expression of GABAA receptors and scaffolding proteins involved in the regulation of GABAA receptor trafficking and anchoring. Methods Western blot analysis was used to determine the levels of proteins involved in GABAAR trafficking and anchoring in adult rats subjected to pilocarpine-induced SE and controls. Cell surface biotinylation using a cell membrane impermeable reagent was used to assay for changes in the expression of receptors at the plasma membrane. Finally, immunoprecipitation experiments were used to evaluate the composition of GABAA receptors. We examined for a correlation between total GABAAR subunit expression, plasma membrane expression and receptor composition. Key Findings Analysis of tissue samples from the CA1 region of hippocampus show that SE promotes a loss of GABAA receptor subunits and of the scaffolding proteins associated with them. We also found a decrease in the levels of receptors located at the plasma membrane and alterations in GABAA receptor composition. Significance The changes in protein expression of GABAA receptors and scaffolding proteins detected in these studies provide a potential mechanism to explain the deficits in GABAergic neurotransmission observed during the epileptogenic period. Our current observations represent an additional step towards the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying GABAAR dysfunction during epileptogenesis.

Synaptic inhibition in the adult brain is primarily mediated by the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A receptor (GABAAR). The distribution, properties, and dynamics of these receptors are largely determined by their subunit composition. Alteration of subunit composition after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) may result in abnormal increased synaptic firing and possibly contribute to injury-related pathology. Several studies have shown that the Janus Kinase/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway can alter GABAAR subunit expression. The present study investigated changes in JAK/STAT pathway activation after two different severities of experimental TBI in the mouse using the controlled cortical impact (CCI) model. It also investigated whether modulating the activation of the JAK/STAT pathway after severe controlled cortical impact (CCI-S) with a JAK/STAT inhibitor (WP1066) alters post-traumatic epilepsy development and/or neurological recovery after injury. Our results demonstrated differential changes in both the activation of STAT3 and the expression of the GABAAR α1 and γ2 subunit levels that were dependent on the severity of the injury. The change in the GABAAR α1 subunit levels appeared to be at least partly transcriptionally mediated. We were able to selectively reverse the decrease in GABAAR α1 protein levels with WP1066 treatment after CCI injury. WP1066 treatment also improved the degree of recovery of vestibular motor function after injury. These findings suggest that the magnitude of JAK/STAT pathway activation and GABAAR α1 subunit level decrease is dependent on injury severity in this mouse model of TBI. In addition, reducing JAK/STAT pathway activation after severe experimental TBI reverses the decrease in the GABAAR α1 protein levels and improves vestibular motor recovery.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels are elevated after status epilepticus (SE), leading to activation of multiple signaling pathways, including the janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway that mediates a decrease in GABA A receptor ␣1 subunits in the hippocampus (Lund et al., 2008). While BDNF can signal via its pro or mature form, the relative contribution of these forms to signaling after SE is not fully known. In the current study, we investigate changes in proBDNF levels acutely after SE in C57BL/6J mice. In contrast to previous reports (Unsain et al., 2008; Volosin et al., 2008; VonDran et al., 2014), our studies found that levels of proBDNF in the hippocampus are markedly elevated as early as 3 h after SE onset and remain elevated for 7 d. Immunohistochemistry studies indicate that seizure-induced BDNF localizes to all hippocampal subfields, predominantly in principal neurons and also in astrocytes. Analysis of the proteolytic machinery that cleaves proBDNF to produce mature BDNF demonstrates that acutely after SE there is a decrease in tissue plasminogen activator and an increase in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), an inhibitor of extracellular and intracellular cleavage, which normalizes over the first week after SE. In vitro treatment of hippocampal slices from animals 24 h after SE with a PAI-1 inhibitor reduces proBDNF levels. These findings suggest that rapid proBDNF increases following SE are due in part to reduced cleavage, and that proBDNF may be part of the initial neurotrophin response driving intracellular signaling during the acute phase of epileptogenesis.Key words: BDNF; cleavage; epilepsy; PAI-1; ProBDNF; tPA Significance StatementThe studies reported here are the first to demonstrate acute changes in the expression of proBDNF within 3 h of the onset of status epilpticus (SE) that occur within principle cells and glia in all hippocampal subfields. We further found evidence that reduced expression of tissue plasminogen activator, part of the extracellular proteolytic cascade, and increased expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, an inhibitor of extracellular and intracellular cleavage, may contribute to reduced proBDNF cleavage and elevations in proBDNF levels. These findings suggest that proBDNF may be part of the initial neurotrophin response driving intracellular signaling acutely after SE and during the earliest phase of epileptogenesis.