Aquaporin-1 and Aquaporin-4 Expression in Ependyma, Choroid Plexus and Surrounding Transition Zones in the Human Brain

The choroid plexus (CP) is a structure in the brain ventricles that produces the main part of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). It is covered with specialized cells which show epithelial characteristics and are the site of the blood-CSF barrier. These cells form a contiguous cell sheet with ventricle-lining ependymal cells which are known to express aquaporin-4 (AQP4). In contrast, CP epithelial cells express aquaporin-1 (AQP1) apically. We investigated the expression patterns of aquaporins in the CP-ependyma transition from human body donors using immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Ependymal cells and subependymal astrocytes at the base of the CP showed a particularly high AQP4 immunoreactivity. Astrocytic processes formed a dense meshwork or glial plate around the blood vessels entering the CP. Interestingly, some of these astrocytic processes were in direct contact with the CP stroma, which contains fenestrated blood vessels, separated only by a basal lamina. Electron microscopy confirmed the continuity of the subastrocytic basal lamina with the CP epithelium. We also probed for components of the AQP4 anchoring dystrophin-dystroglycan complex. Immunolabeling for dystrophin and AQP4 showed an overlapping staining pattern in the glial plate but not in previously reported AQP4-positive CP epithelial cells. In contrast, dystroglycan expression was associated with laminin staining in the glial plate and the CP epithelium. This suggests different mechanisms for AQP4 anchoring in the cell membrane. The high AQP4 density in the connecting glial plate might facilitate the transport of water in and out of the CP stroma and could possibly serve as a drainage and clearing pathway for metabolites.