Co-localization of PKCε with various GABAA receptor subunits in the mouse limbic system

Abstract
The distribution of PKCε and its co-localization with various GABAA receptor subunits within limbic structures of the mouse brain was examined by fluorescence immunohistochemistry. Levels of PKCε immunoreactivity were highest in the cingulate cortex and dentate gyrus, moderate in the nucleus accumbens, and lowest in the prelimbic cortex and basolateral amygdala. Co-localization of PKCε immunoreactivity with the GABAA receptor α1, β2/3, and γ2 subunits varied by subunit and brain region examined, with the majority of co-localization occuring in the dentate gyrus, nucleus accumbens and basolateral amygdala. These results demonstrate that PKCε may interact with GABAA receptors in a subunit- and region-specific manner, and provide a potential anatomical basis for recent behavioral and biochemical evidence that PKCε modulates GABAA receptor function.