Phorbol ester induced changes in tight and adherens junctions in the choroid plexus epithelium and in the ependyma

The molecular composition and functional properties of cell-cell junctions of choroid plexus epithelial cells and the ependyma of the lateral ventricular wall were investigated in the rat brain. Expression studies of cadherin and alpha- and beta-catenins, as well as expression of occludin and ZO-1, indicated that cell adherens and tight junctions were present in both choroid plexus epithelial cells and in ependymal cells. We then tested the hypothesis that phorbolester in vivo can induce changes in the expression level of adherens and tight junction molecules at the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier as well as in the ependyma. In addition, the functional properties of the ependymal junctions were tested by injection of dextran 3000 into the striatum after phorbolester application. Twenty-four hours after phorbolester-injection into the lateral ventricle of the rat brain, the expression patterns of tight and adherens junction molecules were markedly changed in the epithelial cells of the choroid plexus. The adherens junction proteins cadherin and beta-catenin were reduced in both the ependymal cells of the lateral ventricle and choroid plexus epithelial cells. In addition, the occludin-immunoreactivity of the choroid plexus epithelial cells was strongly reduced. However, the ZO-1 immunoreactivity was not affected by the phorbol ester-treatment and the alpha-catenin immunoreactivity was not changed. Furthermore, phorbol ester injection induced a reduction of the volume of intrastriatal injected biotinylated dextran (m.w. 3000), which is consistent with a modulatory influence of protein kinase C activation on the clearance capacity of the brain.