Ischemic brain injury decreases dynamin-like protein 1 expression in a middle cerebral artery occlusion animal model and glutamate-exposed HT22 cells

Dynamin-like protein I (DLP-1) is an important mitochondrial fission and fusion protein that is associated with apoptotic cell death in neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we investigated DLP-1 expression in a focal cerebral ischemia animal model and glutamate-exposed hippocampal-derived cell line. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was surgically induced in adult male rats to induce focal cerebral ischemic injury. Brain tissues were collected 24 hours after the onset of MCAO. MCAO induces an increase in infarct volume and histopathological changes in the cerebral cortex. We identified a decrease in DLP-1 in the cerebral cortices of MCAO-injured animals using a proteomic approach and Western blot analysis. Moreover, glutamate treatment significantly decreased DLP-1 expression in a hippocampal-derived cell line. The decrease in DLP-1 indicates mitochondrial dysfunction. Thus, these results suggest that neuronal cell injury induces a decrease in DLP-1 levels and consequently leads to neuronal cell death.