Figure 3.

Gene expression level of DGL-α, the biosynthetic enzyme of 2-AG, is diminished in the sclerotic epileptic hippocampus. A, DGL-α mRNA level is decreased to one-half of its control level in the sclerotic epileptic hippocampus. In contrast, significant difference in mRNA level was not observed between the nonsclerotic hippocampal samples and control subjects. Importantly, the direction and magnitude of expression level changes were identical in parallel experiments using two distinct housekeeping genes, β-actin and GAPDH. B, The related isoenzyme DGL-β is unaffected in the epileptic hippocampus. Real-time PCR measurement did not reveal significant changes in mRNA level either in the nonsclerotic or in the sclerotic epileptic hippocampus as compared with control values. C, MGL, the enzyme responsible for elimination of 2-AG, showed a slight but insignificant decrease in mRNA level in the sclerotic hippocampus [normalized to β-actin (p = 0.171) or to GAPDH (p = 0.079)]. In the nonsclerotic hippocampal samples, there was no indication of any subtle changes in gene expression level. Data are presented as mean expression ratio ± SEM. *p < 0.05.