Expression of carbonic anhydrases II, IV, VII, VIII and XII in rat brain after kainic acid induced status epilepticus

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are important enzymes in the central nervous system (CNS), where they participate in regulating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) secretion, blood–brain barrier and glial cell function. Using RT-PCR we found CA XII mRNA in rat and mouse brain. Cloning of rat CA XII revealed 94% homology with the mouse CA XII. To map the putative functional roles of different CAs, we studied the expression and localization of CA II, CA IV, CA VII, CA-related protein (CA-RP) VIII and CA XII mRNAs in rat brain after kainic acid induced epileptic seizures using Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization. The expression of CA IV, CA VII and CA-RP VIII was somewhat similar: they were expressed in the cortex, hippocampus and midbrain structures and their expression did not change after the kainic acid treatment. The expression of CA II was concentrated in the white matter structures, which is in line with the preferential expression of CA II in the oligodendrocytes. High levels of CA II mRNA were also detected in the choroid plexus. Surprisingly, CA II was induced 3–12 h after seizures in the vulnerable CA1 region. CA XII was expressed in dentate granule cells, cortex and choroid plexus. Kainic acid stimulated CA XII expression throughout the cortical layer I. The observed hippocampal induction of CA II may indicate a pro-apoptotic and/or epileptogenic role of CA II after prolonged seizures. The physiological significance of the observed cortical induction of CA XII remains obscure. Cytosolic CA II is known to participate in CSF secretion, and the high expression of CA XII in the choroid plexus suggests an analogous role for this membrane-bound isozyme.