Investigation of IFIT3 and KCNS3 Gene Expression Patterns in the Peripheral Blood of Patients with Cryptogenic Epilepsy

ABSTRACT Objective: Epilepsy is a neurological disease characterized by recurrent seizures. Cryptogenic cases are those where there are no prior signs of brain damage and no clear etiology. The absence of an obvious causative pathology creates challenges in the clinical management of the disease. Gene expression studies aid in improved clinical care, in terms of providing a better sight into the etiology, or mechanisms of the disease. In this study, we examined the expression levels of IFIT3 and KCNS3 genes in peripheral bloods of cryptogenic epilepsy patients. Methods: Our study included cryptogenic epilepsy patients (n=20) and healthy controls (n=20). The peripheral blood samples of participants were collected, and total RNAs were isolated. Obtained RNA samples were converted into complementary DNAs (cDNAs). Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) was conducted to measure relative expression levels of IFIT3 and KCNS3 genes. ACTB was assigned as the housekeeping gene. Results: Accordingly, the expression levels of KCNS3 were higher in the patient group (p