Hyperglycemia reduces PP2A subunit B expression in a middle cerebral artery occlusion animal model

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that worsens clinical outcome following cerebral ischemia. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a conserved, heterotrimeric, serine/threonine phosphatase with various cellular functions. PP2A subunit B is abundant in brain tissue and modulates PP2A function. The aim of this study was to investigate PP2A subunit B protein expression in the cerebral cortex of non-diabetic and diabetic animals with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) injury. Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with streptozotocin (40 mg/kg, i.p.) to induce diabetic conditions. After 4 weeks of streptozotocin treatment, the rats underwent MCAO to induce focal cerebral ischemia. The cerebral cortex tissue was collected 24 hr after MCAO. Body weight and blood glucose were measured, and Western blot analysis was performed to elucidate the expression of PP2A subunit B. We confirmed decreased body weight and increased blood glucose in diabetic animals. Reverse transcription-PCR and Western blot analyses showed decreased PP2A subunit B expression in the cerebral cortices of MCAO-injured animals. Moreover, diabetic animals with MCAO showed more severe decreases in PP2A subunit B protein levels than non-diabetic animals following MCAO. The decline of PP2A subunit B indicates degradation of neuronal function. These findings suggest that conspicuous decreases in PP2A subunit B may exacerbate cerebral ischemia under diabetic conditions following MCAO.