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Article abstract—PET-demonstrated decreases in [11C]flumazenil binding occur in anterior mesial temporal structures on the side of epileptogenesis in unilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. We performed quantitative autoradiog-raphy on anterior mesial and lateral temporal specimens from 11 subjects with unilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and six neurologically normal controls to identify the predominant in vitro correlates of the decreased [11C]flumazenil binding. In anterior mesial temporal regions exhibiting the greatest neuronal cell loss, decreases in agonist and antagonist binding to type 1 and 2 (central) benzodiazepine binding sites were highly correlated with neuronal cell counts. Cell loss and decreased binding were particularly prominent in the lateral portion of hippocampal region CA1, adjacent to CA2. Lateral temporal central benzodiazepine binding was diffusely increased, achieving statistical significance in cortical laminae V and VI. These findings suggest that the predominant source of PET-demonstrated decreases in [11C]flumazenil binding in mesial temporal epilepsy is hippocampal sclerosis, rather than down-regulation of central benzodiazepine binding sites on surviving hippocampal neurons.

The purification and characterization of three enzymes involved in ethanol formation from acetyl-CoA in Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus 39E (formerly Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum 39E) is described. The secondary-alcohol dehydrogenase (2 degrees Adh) was determined to be a homotetramer of 40 kDa subunits (SDS/PAGE) with a molecular mass of 160 kDa. The 2 degrees Adh had a lower catalytic efficiency for the oxidation of 1 degree alcohols, including ethanol, than for the oxidation of secondary (2 degrees) alcohols or the reduction of ketones or aldehydes. This enzyme possesses a significant acetyl-CoA reductive thioesterase activity as determined by NADPH oxidation, thiol formation and ethanol production. The primary-alcohol dehydrogenase (1 degree Adh) was determined to be a homotetramer of 41.5 kDa (SDS/PAGE) subunits with a molecular mass of 170 kDa. The 1 degree Adh used both NAD(H) and NADP(H) and displayed higher catalytic efficiencies for NADP(+)-dependent ethanol oxidation and NADH-dependent acetaldehyde (identical to ethanal) reduction than for NADPH-dependent acetaldehyde reduction or NAD(+)-dependent ethanol oxidation. The NAD(H)-linked acetaldehyde dehydrogenase was a homotetramer (360 kDa) of identical subunits (100 kDa) that readily catalysed thioester cleavage and condensation. The 1 degree Adh was expressed at 5-20% of the level of the 2 degrees Adh throughout the growth cycle on glucose. The results suggest that the 2 degrees Adh primarily functions in ethanol production from acetyl-CoA and acetaldehyde, whereas the 1 degree Adh functions in ethanol consumption for nicotinamide-cofactor recycling.

The picrotoxinin ligand [3H]t-butylbicycloorthobenzoate ([3H] TBOB) was evaluated as an autoradiographic ligand to study gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptors. Specific [3H]TBOB binding was approximately 80% of total binding, was saturable and identified a single population of binding sites with regional Kd approximating 30 nM. [3H]TBOB binding was inhibited by picrotoxin, isoguvacine and pregnenolone sulfate. The benzodiazepines clonazepam and zolpidem produced complex effects with concentration-dependent inhibition and enhancement of [3H] TBOB binding. [3H]TBOB binding was regionally heterogeneous with high levels of binding in globus pallidus and layer IV of neocortex, intermediate levels of binding in other neocortical laminae and the cerebellar molecular layer and low levels of binding in the striatum and septum. The regional distribution of [3H]TBOB binding correlated poorly with the regional distribution of [3H]muscimol binding, somewhat better with the regional distribution of [3H]flunitrazepam binding and [35S]t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate binding and quite well with the regional distribution of [3H]zolpidem binding. [3H]TBOB binding site autoradiography is a convenient technique for studying GABAA receptor pharmacology in a regionally specific manner.