Delayed, but prolonged increases in astrocytic clusterin (ApoJ) mRNA expression following acute cortical spreading depression in the rat: Evidence for a role of clusterin in ischemic tolerance

Abstract

Clusterin is a sulfated glycoprotein produced by neurons and by resting and activated astrocytes that has several putative functions, including protective responses to brain injury. Cortical spreading depression (CSD) is a powerful yet largely benign stimulus that acutely is capable of providing long-lasting ischemic tolerance. The current study investigated possible alterations in expression of clusterin mRNA in the cerebral cortex of the rat at various times after unilateral CSD. Using semiquantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry, significant increases (30-100%; P≤0.05) in clusterin mRNA were detected in layers I-III and IV-VI of the ipsilateral cortex at 1, 2, 7 and 14 (layers I-..