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DSouza AA, Kulkarni P, Ferris CF, Amiji MM, Bleier BS. Mild repetitive TBI reduces brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the substantia nigra and hippocampus: A preclinical model for testing BDNF-targeted therapeutics. Exp Neurol 2024; 374:114696. [PMID: 38244886 PMCID: PMC10922982 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2024.114696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Clinical studies have consistently shown that neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and Huntington's disease show absent or low levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Despite this relationship between BDNF and ND, only a few ND animal models have been able to recapitulate the low BDNF state, thereby hindering research into the therapeutic targeting of this important neurotrophic factor. In order to address this unmet need, we sought to develop a reproducible model of BDNF reduction by inducing traumatic brain injury (TBI) using a closed head momentum exchange injury model in mature 9-month-old male and female rats. Head impacts were repetitive and varied in intensity from mild to severe. BDNF levels, as assessed by ELISA, were significantly reduced in the hippocampus of both males and females as well as in the substantia nigra of males 12 days after mild TBI. However, we observed significant sexual dimorphism in multiple sequelae, including magnetic resonance imaging-determined vasogenic edema, astrogliosis (GFAP-activation), and microgliosis (Iba1 activation). This study provides an opportunity to investigate the mechanism of BDNF reduction in rodent models and provides a reliable paradigm to test BDNF-targeted therapeutics for the treatment of ND.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anisha A DSouza
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Praveen Kulkarni
- Center for Translational NeuroImaging, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Craig F Ferris
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Center for Translational NeuroImaging, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mansoor M Amiji
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Benjamin S Bleier
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
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2
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Li L, Pu Q, Hintze M, Wang Y, Eckhardt M, Gieselmann V, Tiemann I, Qi X, Cai D, Wang J, Huang R. BDNF and NGF signals originating from sensory ganglia promote cranial motor axon growth. Exp Brain Res 2019; 238:111-119. [PMID: 31802149 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-019-05694-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
After exiting the hindbrain, branchial motor axons reach their targets in association with sensory ganglia. The trigeminal ganglion has been shown to promote motor axon growth from rhombomeres 2/3 and 4/5, but it is unknown whether this effect is ganglion specific and through which signals it is mediated. Here, we addressed these questions by co-cultures of ventral rhombomere 8 explants with cranial and spinal sensory ganglia in a collagen gel matrix. Our results show that all cranial sensory ganglia and even a trunk dorsal root ganglion can promote motor axon growth and that ganglia isolated from older embryos had a stronger effect on the axonal growth than younger ones. We found that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) are necessary and sufficient for this effect. Altogether, our results demonstrate that the promoting effect of sensory ganglia on cranial motor axon growth is stage dependent, but not ganglion specific and is mediated by BDNF and NGF signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianlian Li
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University of Bonn, Nussallee 10, 53115, Bonn, Germany.,Institute of Zoology, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Institute of Basic Medicine, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Qin Pu
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University of Bonn, Nussallee 10, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Maik Hintze
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University of Bonn, Nussallee 10, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Yong Wang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Matthias Eckhardt
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Volkmar Gieselmann
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Inga Tiemann
- Institute of Animal Science, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Xufeng Qi
- Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dongqing Cai
- Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jianlin Wang
- Institute of Zoology, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ruijin Huang
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University of Bonn, Nussallee 10, 53115, Bonn, Germany. .,Department of Molecular Embryology, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
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3
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Zetterström TSC, Coppell AA, Khundakar AA. The role of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor subtypes in the regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene expression. J Pharm Pharmacol 2013; 66:53-61. [DOI: 10.1111/jphp.12153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2013] [Accepted: 09/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Objectives
The study aims to investigate the role of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor subtypes in mediating the inhibitory effect of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (fluoxetine on brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (bdnf) expression in rat hippocampus.
Methods
In situ hybridization was used for regional determination of bdnf expression levels in hippocampal brain slices from normal, lesioned (5-hydroxytryptamine or noradrenaline) or adrenalectomized rats; treated with fluoxetine and/or 5-hydroxytryptamine selective ligands.
Key findings
Our study shows that the transient fluoxetine-induced down-regulation of bdnf gene expression depends on an intact 5-hydroxytryptamine but not noradrenaline system or circulating glucocorticoids. Pretreatment with the 5-hydroxytryptamine4 antagonist SB-204070 blocked the overall fluoxetine-induced inhibition of bdnf levels in hippocampus, while pretreatment with the 5-hydroxytryptamine2 antagonists ketanserin had an effect in the CA3 but not in the dentate gyrus sub-region of hippocampus. The 5-hydroxytryptamine1A antagonist WAY-100635 and the 5-hydroxytryptamine3 antagonist granisetron were both ineffective.
Conclusions
Our study found strong support for a primary effect of 5-hydroxytryptamine but not noradrenaline or circulating glucocorticoids in the mediation of fluoxetine-induced down-regulation of bdnf expression. More specifically, we also show that 5-hydroxytryptamine4 receptor-stimulation seems to play a pivotal role in this effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyra S C Zetterström
- Leicester School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
| | - Alexander A Coppell
- Leicester School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
| | - Ahmad A Khundakar
- Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Campus For Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle, UK
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Brain-derived neurotrophic factor-estrogen interactions in the hippocampal mossy fiber pathway: implications for normal brain function and disease. Neuroscience 2012; 239:46-66. [PMID: 23276673 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2012] [Accepted: 12/13/2012] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the steroid hormone estrogen exhibit potent effects on hippocampal neurons during development and in adulthood. BDNF and estrogen have also been implicated in the etiology of diverse types of neurological disorders or psychiatric illnesses, or have been discussed as potentially important in treatment. Although both are typically studied independently, it has been suggested that BDNF mediates several of the effects of estrogen in the hippocampus, and that these interactions play a role in the normal brain as well as disease. Here we focus on the mossy fiber (MF) pathway of the hippocampus, a critical pathway in normal hippocampal function, and a prime example of a location where numerous studies support an interaction between BDNF and estrogen in the rodent brain. We first review the temporal and spatially regulated expression of BDNF and estrogen in the MFs, as well as their receptors. Then we consider the results of studies that suggest that 17β-estradiol alters hippocampal function by its influence on BDNF expression in the MF pathway. We also address the hypothesis that estrogen influences the hippocampus by mechanisms related not only to the mature form of BDNF, acting at trkB receptors, but also by regulating the precursor, proBDNF, acting at p75NTR. We suggest that the interactions between BDNF and 17β-estradiol in the MFs are potentially important in the normal function of the hippocampus, and have implications for sex differences in functions that depend on the MFs and in diseases where MF plasticity has been suggested to play an important role, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and addiction.
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Muzyka VV, Men’shanov PN, Bannova AV, Dygalo NN. The interrelationship between BDNF and its precursor and the level of active caspase-3 in the brain regions of neonatal rats. NEUROCHEM J+ 2012. [DOI: 10.1134/s1819712412040095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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Survival, differentiation, and connectivity of ventral mesencephalic dopamine neurons following transplantation. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-59575-1.00004-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Fukuhara K, Ishikawa K, Yasuda S, Kishishita Y, Kim HK, Kakeda T, Yamamoto M, Norii T, Ishikawa T. Intracerebroventricular 4-Methylcatechol (4-MC) Ameliorates Chronic Pain Associated with Depression-Like Behavior via Induction of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). Cell Mol Neurobiol 2011; 32:971-7. [DOI: 10.1007/s10571-011-9782-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2011] [Accepted: 12/06/2011] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Gittis AH, Hang GB, LaDow ES, Shoenfeld LR, Atallah BV, Finkbeiner S, Kreitzer AC. Rapid target-specific remodeling of fast-spiking inhibitory circuits after loss of dopamine. Neuron 2011; 71:858-68. [PMID: 21903079 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.06.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/24/2011] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
In Parkinson's disease (PD), dopamine depletion alters neuronal activity in the direct and indirect pathways and leads to increased synchrony in the basal ganglia network. However, the origins of these changes remain elusive. Because GABAergic interneurons regulate activity of projection neurons and promote neuronal synchrony, we recorded from pairs of striatal fast-spiking (FS) interneurons and direct- or indirect-pathway MSNs after dopamine depletion with 6-OHDA. Synaptic properties of FS-MSN connections remained similar, yet within 3 days of dopamine depletion, individual FS cells doubled their connectivity to indirect-pathway MSNs, whereas connections to direct-pathway MSNs remained unchanged. A model of the striatal microcircuit revealed that such increases in FS innervation were effective at enhancing synchrony within targeted cell populations. These data suggest that after dopamine depletion, rapid target-specific microcircuit organization in the striatum may lead to increased synchrony of indirect-pathway MSNs that contributes to pathological network oscillations and motor symptoms of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aryn H Gittis
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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Brain-derived neurotrophic factor inhibition at the punctured intervertebral disc downregulates the production of calcitonin gene-related peptide in dorsal root ganglia in rats. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2011; 36:1737-43. [PMID: 21540781 DOI: 10.1097/brs.0b013e31821d7b9f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN Retrograde neurotracing and immunohistochemical investigation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-related sensory innervation of punctured lumbar intervertebral discs (IVDs) in rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG). OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between BDNF and sensory innervation of multiple-punctured lumbar IVD in rats. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA BDNF--a neurotrophin in DRG neurons--is anterogradely transported to the spinal cord and transmits pain signals. Its presence in the peripheral sites of degenerative IVDs has been recently reported, although its association with discogenic pain remains unclear. METHODS Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats were equally divided into four groups: naïve, sham, and two agent-treated groups (vehicle [saline-treated] group and anti-BDNF [anti-BDNF antibody] group). L5-L6 IVDs of the agent-treated rats were exposed and injured by repeated punctures. The retrograde neurotracer Fluoro-Gold (FG) and treatment agents were intradiscally applied. In the sham group, FG alone was applied onto uninjured IVD. One week later, L1-L3 DRGs were harvested and immunolabeled for the inflammatory pain-related calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), that is, the pain marker. The proportions of FG-labeled CGRP-immunoreactive (-ir) DRG neurons were assessed. Each L5-L6 IVD was resected for measuring the BDNF concentration using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS FG-labeled DRG neurons were almost equally prevalent at each DRG level. The proportions of FG-labeled CGRP-ir DRG neurons in the two agent-treated groups were significantly elevated (average 37.9% ± 7.2% and 25.4% ± 9.1%; vehicle and anti-BDNF groups, respectively; P < 0.05) in comparison with the naïve and sham groups (19.6% ± 1.3% and 19.2% ± 3.6%, respectively) and were significantly decreased in the anti-BDNF group in comparison with the vehicle group (P < 0.05). BDNF concentrations were elevated maximally in the vehicle group (18.5 ± 5.2 pg/g) but suppressed in the anti-BDNF group (14.0 ± 3.0 pg/g). CONCLUSION Direct intradiscal application of the anti-BDNF antibody significantly suppressed both CGRP production and the local concentration of BDNF. Our results indicate a possible association between the local production of BDNF and the pathophysiology of discogenic pain.
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Abstract
Mild traumatic brain injury, especially sport-related concussion, is common among young persons. Consequences of transient pathophysiologic dysfunction must be considered in the context of a developing or immature brain, as must the potential for an accumulation of damage with repeated exposure. This review summarizes the underlying neurometabolic cascade of concussion, with emphasis on the young brain in terms of acute pathophysiology, vulnerability, alterations in plasticity and activation, axonal injury, and cumulative risk from chronic, repetitive damage, and discusses their implications in the context of clinical care for the concussed youth, highlighting areas for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Shrey
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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11
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Tripanichkul W, Gerdprasert O, Jaroensuppaperch EO. Estrogen reduces BDNF level, but maintains dopaminergic cell density in the striatum of MPTP mouse model. Int J Neurosci 2011; 120:489-95. [PMID: 20583901 DOI: 10.3109/00207451003721892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) axons in the striatum triggers upregulation of striatal trophic activity and striatal DA neuronal number in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD). The present study investigated the effects of 17beta-estradiol (E2) on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and the density of DA neurons in the striatum of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model in correlation with nigrostriatal DA innervation. Adult male C57Bl/6 mice were treated with E2 or vehicle for 11 days. Following 5 days of E2 or vehicle pretreatment, animals were injected with MPTP on day 6. On day 11, all mice were sacrificed, and the striatum were collected and processed for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and BDNF immunohistochemistry. Striatal TH-immunoreactive (IR) neurons were counted. Extent of DA innervation and BDNF expression in the striatum were assessed by measuring optical density of TH and BDNF immunoreactivity, respectively. Pretreatment with E2 partially prevented DA denervation and decreased striatal BDNF upregulation triggered by MPTP, but maintained the density of striatal TH-IR neurons to that observed in MPTP group. These findings suggest that estrogen protection of nigrostriatal DA axons against MPTP as well as preservation of the striatal TH-IR cell density in MPTP/E2 mice may be not mediated by BDNF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanida Tripanichkul
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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12
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Yurek DM, Fletcher AM, Peters LE, Cass WA. Strain difference in the up-regulation of FGF-2 protein following a neurotoxic lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway. Neurochem Res 2010; 35:531-9. [PMID: 19921430 PMCID: PMC3032212 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-009-0093-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway are known to induce a compensatory up-regulation of various neurotrophic factors. In this study we examined protein content of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) in tissue samples taken from the ventral midbrain and striatum at two different time points following a neurotoxic lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway in two different rat strains, the outbred Sprague-Dawley (SD) and inbred F344 9 Brown Norway F1 hybrid (F344BNF1). Despite both rat strains having comparable lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway, we observed a difference in the temporal up-regulation of FGF-2 in ventral midbrain samples taken from the side ipsilateral to the lesion. Basic FGF was significantly upregulated in ventral midbrain in SD rats 1 week post-lesion while we did not observe an up-regulation of FGF-2 in the lesioned ventral midbrain of F344BNF1 at this same time point. However, both strains showed a significant up-regulation of FGF-2 in the lesioned ventral midbrain 3 weeks post-lesion. Sprague-Dawley rats also appeared to be more sensitive to the lesion in terms of up-regulating FGF-2 expression. The differences reported here suggest currently unknown genetic differences between these two strains may be important factors for regulating the compensatory release of neurotrophic factors, such as FGF-2, in response to a neurotoxic lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Yurek
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536-0305, USA.
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Branchi I, D’Andrea I, Armida M, Carnevale D, Ajmone-Cat MA, Pèzzola A, Potenza RL, Morgese MG, Cassano T, Minghetti L, Popoli P, Alleva E. Striatal 6-OHDA lesion in mice: Investigating early neurochemical changes underlying Parkinson's disease. Behav Brain Res 2010; 208:137-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2009] [Revised: 11/04/2009] [Accepted: 11/09/2009] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Dickerson JW, Hemmerle AM, Numan S, Lundgren KH, Seroogy KB. Decreased expression of ErbB4 and tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA and protein in the ventral midbrain of aged rats. Neuroscience 2009; 163:482-9. [PMID: 19505538 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2009] [Revised: 06/03/2009] [Accepted: 06/04/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Decreased availability or efficacy of neurotrophic factors may underlie an increased susceptibility of mesencephalic dopaminergic cells to age-related degeneration. Neuregulins (NRGs) are pleotrophic growth factors for many cell types, including mesencephalic dopamine cells in culture and in vivo. The functional NRG receptor ErbB4 is expressed by virtually all midbrain dopamine neurons. To determine if levels of the NRG receptor are maintained during aging in the dopaminergic ventral mesencephalon, expression of ErbB4 mRNA and protein was examined in young (3 months), middle-aged (18 months), and old (24-25 months) Brown Norway/Fischer 344 F1 rats. ErbB4 mRNA levels in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), but not the adjacent ventral tegmental area (VTA) or subtantia nigra pars lateralis (SNl), were significantly reduced in the middle-aged and old animals when compared to young rats. Protein expression of ErbB4 in the ventral midbrain was significantly decreased in the old rats when compared to the young rats. Expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA levels was significantly reduced in the old rats when compared to young animals in the SNpc, but not in the VTA or SNI. TH protein levels in the ventral midbrain were also decreased in the old animals when compared to the young animals. These data demonstrate a progressive decline of ErbB4 expression, coinciding with a loss of the dopamine-synthesizing enzyme TH, in the ventral midbrain of aged rats, particularly in the SNpc. These findings may implicate a role for diminished NRG/ErbB4 trophic support in dopamine-related neurodegenerative disorders of aging such as Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- J W Dickerson
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
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Thompson LH, Björklund A. Transgenic reporter mice as tools for studies of transplantability and connectivity of dopamine neuron precursors in fetal tissue grafts. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2009; 175:53-79. [PMID: 19660649 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(09)17505-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2022]
Abstract
Cell therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) is based on the idea that new midbrain dopamine (mDA) neurons, implanted directly into the brain of the patient, can structurally and functionally replace those lost to the disease. Clinical trials have provided proof-of-principle that the grafted mDA neurons can survive and function after implantation in order to provide sustained improvement in motor function for some patients. Nonetheless, there are a number of issues limiting the application of this approach as mainstream therapy, including: the use of human fetal tissue as the only safe and reliable source of transplantable mDA neurons, and variability in the therapeutic outcome. Here we review recent progress in this area from investigations using rodent models of PD, paying particular attention to the use of transgenic reporter mice as tools for neural transplantation studies. Cell type-specific expression of reporter genes, such as green fluorescent protein, affords valuable technical advantages in transplantation experiments, such as the ability to selectively isolate specific cell fractions from mixed populations prior to grafting, and the unambiguous visualization of graft-derived dopamine neuron fiber patterns after transplantation. The results from these investigations have given new insights into the transplantability of mDA precursors as well as their connectivity after grafting and have interesting implications for the development of stem cell based approaches for the treatment of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lachlan H Thompson
- Florey Neuroscience Institutes, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
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Branchi I, D'Andrea I, Armida M, Cassano T, Pèzzola A, Potenza RL, Morgese MG, Popoli P, Alleva E. Nonmotor symptoms in Parkinson's disease: investigating early-phase onset of behavioral dysfunction in the 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rat model. J Neurosci Res 2008; 86:2050-61. [PMID: 18335518 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.21642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
To investigate the psychiatric symptoms accompanying the early phases of Parkinson's disease (PD), we injected adult rats with 10.5 microg 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) bilaterally into the dorsal striatum. The resulting neurodegeneration led, 12 weeks after injection, to a mild (36%) reduction of striatal dopamine. We tested the behavioral response of sham and 6-OHDA-lesioned animals at different time points after injection to evaluate the onset and progression of behavioral abnormalities. The results showed that such a mild reduction of dopamine levels was associated with a decrease in anxiety-like behavior, an increase in "depression"-like behavior, and a marked change in social behavior. Learning and memory abilities were not affected. Overall, the PD rat model used here displays behavioral alterations having face validity with psychiatric symptoms of the pathology and thus appears to be a valuable tool for investigating the neural bases of the early phases of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Branchi
- Section of Behavioural Neurosciences, Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
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Thompson L, Barraud P, Andersson E, Kirik D, Björklund A. Identification of dopaminergic neurons of nigral and ventral tegmental area subtypes in grafts of fetal ventral mesencephalon based on cell morphology, protein expression, and efferent projections. J Neurosci 2006; 25:6467-77. [PMID: 16000637 PMCID: PMC6725273 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1676-05.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Transplants of fetal ventral mesencephalic tissue are known to contain a mixture of two major dopamine (DA) neuron types: the A9 neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and the A10 neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Previous studies have suggested that these two DA neuron types may differ in their growth characteristics, but, because of technical limitations, it has so far been difficult to identify the two subtypes in fetal ventral mesencephalon (VM) grafts and trace their axonal projections. Here, we have made use of a transgenic mouse expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the tyrosine hydroxylase promoter. The expression of the GFP reporter allowed for visualization of the grafted DA neurons and their axonal projections within the host brain. We show that the SNpc and VTA neuron subtypes in VM grafts can be identified on the basis of their morphology and location within the graft, and their expression of a G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ channel subunit (Girk2) and calbindin, respectively, and also that the axonal projections of the two DA neuron types are markedly different. By retrograde axonal tracing, we show that dopaminergic innervation of the striatum is derived almost exclusively from the Girk2-positive SNpc cells, whereas the calbindin-positive VTA neurons project to the frontal cortex and probably also other forebrain areas. The results suggest the presence of axon guidance and target recognition mechanisms in the DA-denervated forebrain that can guide the growing axons to their appropriate targets and indicate that cell preparations used for cell replacement in Parkinson's disease will be therapeutically useful only if they contain cells capable of generating the correct nigral DA neuron phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lachlan Thompson
- Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Department of Experimental Medical Research, Lund Strategic Center for Stem Cell Biology and Cell Therapy, Lund University, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden.
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Arias-Carrión O, Hernández-López S, Ibañez-Sandoval O, Bargas J, Hernández-Cruz A, Drucker-Colín R. Neuronal precursors within the adult rat subventricular zone differentiate into dopaminergic neurons after substantia nigra lesion and chromaffin cell transplant. J Neurosci Res 2006; 84:1425-37. [PMID: 17006899 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.21068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain continues in the subventricular zone (SVZ). Neuronal precursors from the SVZ migrate along the rostral migratory stream to replace olfactory bulb interneurons. After the destruction of the nigro-striatal pathway (SN-lesion), some SVZ precursors begin to express tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and neuronal markers (NeuN). Grafting of chromaffin cells (CCs) into the denervated striatum increases the number of TH+ cells (SVZ TH+ cells; Arias-Carrión et al., 2004). This study examines the functional properties of these newly differentiating TH+ cells. Under whole-cell patch-clamp, most SVZ cells recorded from lesioned and grafted animals (either TH+ or TH-) were non-excitable. Nevertheless, a small percentage of SVZ TH+ cells had the electrophysiologic phenotype of mature dopaminergic neurons and showed spontaneous postsynaptic potentials. Dopamine (DA) release was measured in SVZ and striatum from both control and SN-lesioned rats. As expected, 12 weeks after SN lesion, DA release decreased drastically. Nevertheless, 8 weeks after CCs graft, release from the SVZ of SN-lesioned rats recovered, and even surpassed that from control SVZ, suggesting that newly formed SVZ TH+ cells release DA. This study shows for the first time that in response to SN-lesions and CC grafts neural precursors within the SVZ change their developmental program, by not only expressing TH, but more importantly by acquiring excitable properties of mature dopaminergic neurons. Additionally, the release of DA in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner and the attraction of synaptic afferents from neighboring neuronal networks gives further significance to the overall findings, whose potential importance is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Arias-Carrión
- Departamento de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular,Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
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Numan S, Gall CM, Seroogy KB. Developmental expression of neurotrophins and their receptors in postnatal rat ventral midbrain. J Mol Neurosci 2005; 27:245-60. [PMID: 16186635 DOI: 10.1385/jmn:27:2:245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2005] [Accepted: 03/03/2005] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Neurotrophins are a group of structurally related polypeptides that support the survival, differentiation, and maintenance of neuronal populations that express the appropriate high-affinity neurotrophin receptors. Two members of the neurotrophin family, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), have been shown to increase the survival of dopaminergic neurons from the ventral midbrain in vitro. Evidence suggests that ventral midbrain neurons might be able to derive support from these trophic factors in vivo through paracrine or autocrine interactions. Both BDNF and NT-3 mRNAs and their receptor mRNAs, trkB and trkC mRNAs, respectively, have been localized to the ventral mesencephalon. However, the relative expression levels of the neurotrophins and their receptor mRNAs throughout ontogeny and in adulthood have not been elucidated. In the present study, the postnatal developmental expression of BDNF, NT-3, trkB, and trkC mRNAs was analyzed via in situ hybridization to gain insight into the possible roles of these factors in vivo. We found that there was a developmental decline in the expression of BDNF and NT-3 mRNAs in the ventral mesencephalon. In contrast, no alterations in the expression of midbrain trkB or trkC mRNAs could be discerned. The present results suggest a role for BDNF and NT-3 in the earlier postnatal developmental events of responsive populations. The continued, albeit lower, expression of the neurotrophins in the ventral mesencephalon in adulthood also suggests a role for these factors in mature neuronal systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Numan
- Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
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20
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Abstract
The clinical studies with intrastriatal transplants of fetal mesencephalic tissue in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients have provided proof-of-principle for the cell replacement strategy in this disorder. The grafted dopaminergic neurons can reinnervate the denervated striatum, restore regulated dopamine (DA) release and movement-related frontal cortical activation, and give rise to significant symptomatic relief. In the most successful cases, patients have been able to withdraw L-dopa treatment after transplantation and resume an independent life. However, there are currently several problems linked to the use of fetal tissue: 1) lack of sufficient amounts of tissue for transplantation in a large number of patients, 2) variability of functional outcome with some patients showing major improvement and others modest if any clinical benefit, and 3) occurrence of troublesome dyskinesias in a significant proportion of patients after transplantation. Thus, neural transplantation is still at an experimental stage in PD. For the development of a clinically useful cell therapy, we need to define better criteria for patient selection and how graft placement should be optimized in each patient. We also need to explore in more detail the importance for functional outcome of the dissection and cellular composition of the graft tissue as well as of immunological mechanisms. Strategies to prevent the development of dyskinesias after grafting have to be developed. Finally, we need to generate large numbers of viable DA neurons in preparations that are standardized and quality controlled. The stem cell technology may provide a virtually unlimited source of DA neurons, but several scientific issues need to be addressed before stem cell-based therapies can be tested in PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olle Lindvall
- Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Strategic Center for Stem Cell Biology and Cell Therapy, BMC A11, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden.
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Ershov PV, Ugrumov MV, Calas A, Krieger M, Thibault J. Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons triggers an expression of individual enzymes of dopamine synthesis in non-dopaminergic neurons of the arcuate nucleus in adult rats. J Chem Neuroanat 2005; 30:27-33. [PMID: 15935614 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2005.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2004] [Revised: 01/21/2005] [Accepted: 04/04/2005] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Non-dopaminergic neurons expressing individual complementary enzymes dopamine (DA) synthesis were shown to produce DA in cooperation [Ugrumov, M., Melnikova, V., Ershov, P., Balan, I., Calas A., 2002. Tyrosine hydroxylase- and/or aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase-expressing neurons in the rat arcuate nucleus: ontogenesis and functional significance. Psychoneuroendocrinology 27, 533-548; Ugrumov, M.V., Melnikova, V.I., Lavrentyeva, A.V., Kudrin, V.S., Rayevsky, K.S., 2004. Dopamine synthesis by non-dopaminergic neurons expressing individual complementary enzymes of the dopamine synthetic pathway in the arcuate nucleus of fetal rats. Neuroscience 124, 629-635]. This study was aimed at testing our hypothesis that the cooperative synthesis of DA in non-dopaminergic neurons is an adaptive reaction under functional insufficiency of the dopaminergic system. Functional insufficiency of the tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic system was provoked by 6-OHDA-induced degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the arcuate nucleus in adult rats. Bienzymatic (dopaminergic) neurons and monoenzymatic neurons expressing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) or aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) were detected with a double-immunofluorescent technique on cryostat sections. The 6-OHDA-induced degeneration of dopaminergic neurons was accompanied by a significant increase of the number of monoenzymatic TH neurons and AADC neurons that appears to support our hypothesis. The reaction of bienzymatic and monoenzymatic neuron populations to the 6-OHDA administration occurred to be region-specific. The former disappeared in the dorsomedial region of the arcuate nucleus while the latter increased in the ventrolateral region. Thus, degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the arcuate nucleus of adult rats is accompanied by the expression of individual enzymes of DA synthesis in non-dopaminergic neurons that may be an adaptive reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- P V Ershov
- Laboratory of Neurohistology, Institute of Normal Physiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, 8 Baltiiskaya St., Moscow, Russia
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22
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Suneja SK, Yan L, Potashner SJ. Regulation of NT-3 and BDNF levels in guinea pig auditory brain stem nuclei after unilateral cochlear ablation. J Neurosci Res 2005; 80:381-90. [PMID: 15795930 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.20457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Injury to areas of the central nervous system can alter neurotrophin levels, which may influence postlesion neuronal survival and plasticity. To determine if sensorineural hearing loss induces such changes, we used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in adult guinea pig brain stem auditory nuclei 3-60 days after a unilateral cochlear ablation (UCA). After UCA, which destroyed the cochlea and cochlear nerve on one side, NT-3 levels were usually depressed at 3 days by 22-44% but became elevated transiently at 7 days by 28-124%. BDNF levels were elevated transiently by 50% on the ablated side in the anteroventral (AVCN) and posteroventral (PVCN) cochlear nucleus at 3 days and may have signaled support for the survival of deafferented neurons. Coincident elevation at 3 and 7 days of BDNF or NT-3 and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 2 (ERK2-P) suggested a relationship to stimulated signal transduction activity. Elevated neurotrophin levels may have contributed to synaptogenesis in the AVCN and the superior olive and to changes in the synaptic biochemistry in the auditory nuclei after UCA. In contrast, deficiencies or failure to elevate neurotrophin levels within several days of the UCA correlated with upregulation of phosphorylated stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK-P), suggesting a relationship with stress-activated signal transduction and with the sparse degeneration of fibers observed in some of the auditory nuclei after UCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanoj K Suneja
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3401, USA.
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23
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Collier TJ, Dung Ling Z, Carvey PM, Fletcher-Turner A, Yurek DM, Sladek JR, Kordower JH. Striatal trophic factor activity in aging monkeys with unilateral MPTP-induced parkinsonism. Exp Neurol 2005; 191 Suppl 1:S60-7. [PMID: 15629762 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2004.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2004] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Striatal trophic activity was assessed in female rhesus monkeys of advancing age rendered hemiparkinsonian by unilateral intracarotid administration of MPTP. Three age groups were analyzed: young adults (8-9.5 years) n=4, middle-aged adults (15-17 years) n=4, and aged adults (21-31 years) n=7. Fresh frozen tissue punches of caudate nucleus and putamen were collected 3 months after MPTP treatment and assayed for combined soluble striatal trophic activity, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). This time point was chosen in an effort to assess a relatively stable phase of the dopamine (DA)-depleted state that may model the condition of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients at the time of therapeutic intervention. Analyses were conducted on striatal tissue both contralateral (aging effects) and ipsilateral to the DA-depleting lesion (lesion x aging effects). We found that combined striatal trophic activity in the contralateral hemisphere increased significantly with aging. Activity from both middle-aged and aged animals was significantly elevated as compared to young adults. Following DA depletion, young animals significantly increased combined striatal trophic activity, but middle-aged and aged animals did not exhibit further increases in activity over their elevated baselines. BDNF levels in the contralateral hemisphere were significantly reduced in aged animals as compared to young and middle-aged subjects. With DA depletion, BDNF levels declined in young and middle-aged animals but did not change from the decreased baseline level in old animals. GDNF levels were unchanged with aging and at 3 months after DA depletion. The results are consistent with several conclusions. First, by middle age combined striatal trophic activity is elevated, potentially reflecting a compensatory reaction to ongoing degenerative changes in substantia nigra DA neurons. Second, in response to DA depletion, young animals were capable of generating a significant increase in trophic activity that was sustained for at least 3 months. This capacity was either saturated or was not sustained in middle-aged and aged animals. Third, the aging-related chronic increase in combined striatal trophic activity was not attributable to BDNF or GDNF as these molecules either decreased or did not change with aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Collier
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
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24
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Xu L, Sheng J, Tang Z, Wu X, Yu Y, Guo H, Shen Y, Zhou C, Paraoan L, Zhou J. Cystatin C prevents degeneration of rat nigral dopaminergic neurons: in vitro and in vivo studies. Neurobiol Dis 2005; 18:152-65. [PMID: 15649706 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2004.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2003] [Revised: 06/11/2004] [Accepted: 08/24/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Destruction of nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) pathway triggers various persistent responses, such as inflammation and increased synthesis of neural growth factors, both in striatum and in substantia nigra. The pathological processes involved in such responses are poorly characterized and could contribute to secondary damage and/or regeneration in the central nervous system (CNS). Cystatin C was previously implicated in the process of neurodegeneration. However, its biological role during neurodegeneration is not understood and remains controversial. The present study identified an increased cystatin C mRNA level in the DA-depleted rat striatum, starting from the second week following a 6-OHDA-induced lesion. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the increase in cystatin C protein level in the striatum following DA depletion. Double-labeled fluorescence immunohistochemistry revealed that nigrostriatal neurons, astrocytes, and microglia contributed to the elevated level of cystatin C. Exposure to 6-hydroxydopamine, a DA-specific neurotoxin, resulted in DA neurons loss in the fetal mesencephalic cultures, an effect which could be partially reversed by treatment with cystatin C. Moreover, in vivo DA neurons survival study showed that administration of cystatin C in rats with 6-OHDA-induced lesion partially rescued the nigral DA neurons. The results indicate that the 6-OHDA lesioning induced a relatively slow but sustained up-regulation of cystatin C expression and suggest that the inhibitor may exert a neuroprotective action on DA neurons. The findings raise the possibility that cysteine proteinase inhibitors may be new candidates for neuroprotective treatment of Parkinson's disease. Cystatin C may be useful therapeutically in limiting neuropathy in Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghi Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, P.R. China
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25
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Bustos G, Abarca J, Campusano J, Bustos V, Noriega V, Aliaga E. Functional interactions between somatodendritic dopamine release, glutamate receptors and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in mesencephalic structures of the brain. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 47:126-44. [PMID: 15572168 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresrev.2004.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/14/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons may be considered as bipolar functional entities since they are endowed with the ability to synthesize, store and release the transmitter dopamine (DA) at the somatodendritic level in the substantia nigra (SN). Such dendritic DA release seems to be distinct from the transmitter release occurring at the axon terminal and seems to rely preferentially on volume transmission to exert its physiological effects. An increased glutamatergic (Gluergic) transmission into the SN facilitates such dendritic DA release via activation of NMDA-receptors (NMDA-Rs) and to a lesser extent through group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). In addition, nigral mGluRs functionally interact with NMDA-Rs in the SN, further modulating the NMDA-R-mediated increase of DA release from dendrites in the SN. In turn, dendritically released DA may exert, via D1 receptors, a tonic inhibitory control upon nigral glutamate (Glu). Furthermore, released DA, via D2/D3 autoreceptors, produces an autoinhibitory effect upon DA cell firing and its own release process. An increased Gluergic transmission into the SN may also induce, via activation of NMDA-Rs, an augmented expression of different brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene transcripts in this brain area. Pharmacological evidence suggests that non-NMDA-Rs could also participate in the regulation of BDNF gene expression in the SN. Glu-mediated changes of nigral BDNF expression could regulate, in turn, the expression of important transmitter-related proteins in the SN, such as different NMDA-R subunits, mGluRs and DA-D3 receptors. In conclusion, Glu-DA-BDNF interactions in the SN may play an important role in modulating the flow of neuronal information in this brain structure under normal conditions, as well as during adaptive and plastic responses associated with various neurological and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Bustos
- Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Catholic University of Chile, Alameda 340, Santiago 114-D, Chile.
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26
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Riaz SS, Theofilopoulos S, Jauniaux E, Stern GM, Bradford HF. The differentiation potential of human foetal neuronal progenitor cells in vitro. BRAIN RESEARCH. DEVELOPMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH 2004; 153:39-51. [PMID: 15464216 DOI: 10.1016/j.devbrainres.2004.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/15/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Previously, this laboratory has shown that human foetal progenitor cells derived from ventral mesencephalon (VM) can be developmentally directed towards a dopaminergic lineage. In the present study, the effects are reported of several as yet untested differentiation/survival factors on the controlled conversion of neural progenitor cells to dopaminergic neurons. Positive immunoreactivity to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and raised levels of dopamine (DA) and its metabolite, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), secreted into culture medium, were used to indicate the presence of the dopaminergic neuronal phenotype, i.e., active TH. Incubation with retinoic acid (RA) (0.5 microM) lead to an increase in the number of cultured cells showing positive immunoreactivity for the neuronal marker, microtubule-associated protein (MAP)-2ab. A concomitant increase in TH-positive immunoreactivity was also demonstrated. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (50 ng/ml), glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) (10 ng/ml) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) (10 ng/ml) also had positive effects in promoting neural progenitor cell differentiation towards the dopaminergic phenotype in the presence of dopamine (10 microM) and forskolin (Fsk) (10 microM). There was no synergy in this effect when progenitor cells were incubated with all of these agents simultaneously. The trans-differentiation potential of the progenitor cells to be directed towards other neurotransmitter phenotypic lineages was also investigated. It was found that, with the right cocktails of agents, serotonin (Ser) (75 microM), acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) (10 ng/ml), BDNF (50 ng/ml) and forskolin (10 microM), these same cells could be directed down the serotonergic cell lineage pathway (as judged by the appearance of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) positive immunoreactivity, and synthesis of 5-HT and its metabolites, secreted into the culture medium). However, no cocktail containing noradrenaline (10 nM-500 microM), BDNF (50 ng/ml) and forskolin (10 microM) was found which promoted differentiation towards the noradrenergic cell phenotype as judged by the absence of any TH or D beta H positive immunoreactivity, and no formation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (DOPEG), the principal metabolite of noradrenaline. The controlled trans-differentiation potential of these cell could pave the way for development and harvesting of large numbers of neurons of the appropriate neurotransmitter phenotype for future transplantation therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samina S Riaz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Biochemistry Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
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27
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Arias-Carrión O, Verdugo-Díaz L, Feria-Velasco A, Millán-Aldaco D, Gutiérrez AA, Hernández-Cruz A, Drucker-Colín R. Neurogenesis in the subventricular zone following transcranial magnetic field stimulation and nigrostriatal lesions. J Neurosci Res 2004; 78:16-28. [PMID: 15372495 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.20235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Neurogenesis continues at least in two regions of the mammalian adult brain, the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the subgranular zone in hippocampal dentate gyrus. Neurogenesis in these regions is subjected to physiological regulation and can be modified by pharmacological and pathological events. Here we report the induction of neurogenesis in the SVZ and the differentiation after nigrostriatal pathway lesion along with transcranial magnetic field stimulation (TMFS) in adult rats. Significant numbers of proliferating cells demonstrated by bromodeoxyuridine-positive reaction colocalized with the neuronal marker NeuN were detected bilaterally in the SVZ, and several of these cells also expressed tyrosine hydroxylase. Transplanted chromaffin cells into lesioned animals also induced bilateral appearance of subependymal cells. These results show for the first time that unilateral lesion, transplant, and/or TMFS induce neurogenesis in the SVZ of rats and also that TMFS prevents the motor alterations induced by the lesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Arias-Carrión
- Departamento de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, UNAM, México DF, México
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28
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Stanic D, Finkelstein DI, Bourke DW, Drago J, Horne MK. Timecourse of striatal re-innervation following lesions of dopaminergic SNpc neurons of the rat. Eur J Neurosci 2003; 18:1175-88. [PMID: 12956716 DOI: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2003.02800.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Previously we described the extent of sprouting that axons of the rat substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) undergo to grow new synapses and re-innervate the dorsal striatum 16 weeks after partial lesions. Here we provide insights into the timing of events related to the re-innervation of the dorsal striatum by regenerating dopaminergic nigrostriatal axons over a 104-week period after partial SNpc lesioning. Density of dopamine transporter and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive axonal varicosities (terminals) decreased up to 80% 4 weeks after lesioning but returned to normal by 16 weeks, unless SNpc lesions were greater than 75%. Neuronal tracer injections into the SNpc revealed a 119% increase in axon fibres (4 mm rostral to the SNpc) along the medial forebrain bundle 4 weeks after lesioning. SNpc cells underwent phenotypic changes. Four weeks after lesioning the proportion of SNpc neurons that expressed tyrosine hydroxylase fell from 90% to 38% but returned to 78% by 32 weeks. We discuss these phenotype changes in the context of neurogenesis. Significant reductions in dopamine levels in rats with medium (30-75%) lesions returned to normal by 16 weeks whereas recovery was not observed if lesions were larger than 75%. Finally, rotational behaviour of animals in response to amphetamine was examined. The clear rightward turning bias observed after 2 weeks recovered by 16 weeks in animals with medium (30-75%) lesions but was still present when lesions were larger. These studies provide insights into the processes that regulate sprouting responses in the central nervous system following injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Stanic
- Department of Medicine, Monash University, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Australia
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29
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Yoshimi K, Woo M, Son Y, Baudry M, Thompson RF. IgG-immunostaining in the intact rabbit brain: variable but significant staining of hippocampal and cerebellar neurons with anti-IgG. Brain Res 2002; 956:53-66. [PMID: 12426046 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(02)03479-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A significant number of brain neurons in the rabbit brain were immunostained with anti-rabbit gamma-immunoglobulin (IgG). IgG-positive neurons were often found in the cerebellum, lower brainstem and motor nuclei. Similar IgG-positive neurons were occasionally found in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex and midbrain, but not in the striatum and thalamus. These neurons showed very clear Golgi-like staining of soma and dendrites but IgG staining was absent from the cell nuclei and axons. In particular, groups of Purkinje neurons in the rabbit cerebellum showed strong IgG-positive staining. To confirm whether the staining reflected the existence of IgG molecules in these neurons, staining specificity was carefully evaluated. Staining was specifically eliminated by pre-absorption of the antibodies with the purified rabbit IgG. An antibody to the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM or CD56), a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, exhibited a completely different pattern of staining as that for IgG. To determine whether IgG-like immunoreactivity was a general feature of mammalian brain, brain sections of rabbits, rats, and mice were immunostained with antibodies to IgGs of each of the three species. Similar IgG-positive neurons were observed in all three species, although the distribution and frequency was characteristic for each species. In rabbit brain, anti-rabbit IgG stained-neurons were more abundant compared to rat and mouse brain. IgG-positive microglia-like cells were evident in mouse brain, but less frequent in rabbit and were hardly observed in rat brain. To evaluate whether stained neurons could synthesize IgG, in situ hybridization was carried out using an antisense oligonucleotide probe to rabbit IgG DNA. No significant label was observed in cerebellum. These results suggest that a significant number of neurons in the intact rabbit brain take up IgGs and concentrate them in their cytoplasm, although the molecular uptake mechanism is retained for future studies. Our results also suggest that the rabbit may be a suitable animal to study the function(s) of IgG in brain neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Yoshimi
- Neuroscience Program, University of Southern California (USC), HNB122, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2520, USA
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30
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Calamandrei G, Valanzano A, Puopolo M, Aloe L. Developmental exposure to the antiretroviral drug zidovudine increases brain levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in mice. Neurosci Lett 2002; 333:111-4. [PMID: 12419493 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(02)01023-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We analyzed brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) protein content in the central nervous system (CNS) of developing and adult mice exposed to the antiretroviral agent zidovudine (AZT) during prenatal and early postnatal period. Pregnant CD-1 mice received per os twice daily AZT (160 mg/kg) or vehicle from gestation day 10 until lactation day 7. BDNF and NGF contents were measured by enzyme immunoassays in male and female offspring on day 7, 21 or 60. In AZT-exposed females, BDNF levels were significantly increased in the hippocampus (days 7 and 21), in the cortex (day 60) and in the hypothalamus (day 21), while in males AZT exposure increased BDNF in the cortex on day 21. These findings support the hypothesis that developmental AZT exposure interferes with CNS development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Calamandrei
- Section of Comparative Psychology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, I-00161, Roma, Italy.
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31
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Marco S, Saura J, Pérez-Navarro E, José Martí M, Tolosa E, Alberch J. Regulation of c-Ret, GFRalpha1, and GFRalpha2 in the substantia nigra pars compacta in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. JOURNAL OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2002; 52:343-51. [PMID: 12210101 DOI: 10.1002/neu.10082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family members have been proposed as candidates for the treatment of Parkinson's disease because they protect nigral dopaminergic neurons against various types of insult. However, the efficiency of these factors depends on the availability of their receptors after damage. We evaluated the changes in the expression of c-Ret, GFRalpha1, and GFRalpha2 in the substantia nigra pars compacta in a rat model of Parkinson's disease by in situ hybridization. Intrastriatal injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) transiently increased c-Ret and GFRalpha1 mRNA levels in the substantia nigra pars compacta at 1 day postlesion. At later time points, 3 and 6 days, the expression of c-Ret and GFRalpha1 was downregulated. GFRalpha2 expression was differentially regulated, as it decreased only 6 days after 6-OHDA injection. Triple-labeling studies, using in situ hybridization for the GDNF family receptors and immunohistochemistry for neuronal or glial cell markers, showed that changes in the expression of c-Ret, GFRalpha1, and GFRalpha2 in the substantia nigra pars compacta were localized to neurons. In conclusion, our results show that nigral neurons differentially regulate the expression of GDNF family receptors as a transient and compensatory response to 6-OHDA lesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sònia Marco
- Departament de Biologia Cel.lular i Anatomia Patològica, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Casanova 143, E-08036 Barcelona, Spain
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Shen Y, Yu Y, Guo H, Tang Z, Yu FSX, Zhou J. Identification and comparative analysis of differentially expressed proteins in rat striatum following 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway: up-regulation of amyloid precursor-like protein 2 expression. Eur J Neurosci 2002; 16:896-906. [PMID: 12372026 DOI: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2002.02179.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
During neurodegenerative processes, cascades of degeneration and subsequent regeneration are triggered. However, the molecular nature of the factors involved in the neurodegeneration of the CNS remains largely unknown. In this study, the variations of protein expression in the striatum of adult Sprague-Dawley rats following 6-hydroxydopamine lesions were investigated, in order to better understand the molecular events occurring in the denervated target tissue. The rat striatum, ipsilateral to the lesion was analysed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Seven proteins were up-regulated (188.1-750% compared to control) in response to the lesion: amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2), kininogen, glucokinase, tropomyosin alpha chain, type brain-1 and calpactin I light chain; whilst four proteins, neural epidermal growth factor-like 2, minichromosome maintenance 6, and thyroid hormone receptor beta-2, were down-regulated (to between 36% and 59% of levels in sham-operated controls). Three proteins that did not match with available data in the SWISS-PROT protein database were also determined. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated colocalization of APLP2 and tyrosine hydroxylase in the nigral neurons. Moreover, reduction of APLP2-positive neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta as well as the increases in the substantia nigra pars reticulata and in the striatum were observed. Furthermore, the conditioned medium of the Chinese hamster ovary cells over-expressing APLP2-751 (chondroitin sulphate-modified), but not APLP2-763 (nonchondroitin sulphate-modified), was able to increase the number of the tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons in fetal mesencephalic cultures. These results suggest that the expression of APLP2, a protein that has been thought to be associated with Alzheimer's disease, is up-regulated in the striatum following dopaminergic denervation. They also support the view that chondroitin sulphate-modified APLP2 protein may play an important role in the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Shen
- Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai, 200031, PR China
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Griesbach GS, Hovda DA, Molteni R, Gomez-Pinilla F. Alterations in BDNF and synapsin I within the occipital cortex and hippocampus after mild traumatic brain injury in the developing rat: reflections of injury-induced neuroplasticity. J Neurotrauma 2002; 19:803-14. [PMID: 12184851 DOI: 10.1089/08977150260190401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), its signal transduction receptor trkB, and its downstream effector, synapsin I, were measured in the hippocampus and occipital cortex of young animals after fluid-percussion brain injury (FPI). Isofluorane anaesthetized postnatal day 19 rats were subjected to a mild lateral FPI or sham injury. Rats were sacrificed at 24 h, 7 days, or 14 days after injury in order to determine mRNA expression. Additional animals were sacrificed at 7 and 14 days after injury for protein analysis. Only FPI animals exhibited hemispheric differences in BDNF levels. These animals exhibited a contralateral increase, ranging from 40% to 75%, in BDNF mRNA within both the hippocampus and occipital cortex at 24 h and 7 days after injury. The increase in message within the occipital cortex was accompanied by an increase in BDNF protein at 7 and 14 days after injury. However, hippocampal BDNF protein increased in both hemispheres at postinjury day 7 and was restricted to the ipsilateral hippocampus at postinjury day 14. At postinjury day 7, both trkB and synapsin I mRNA expression increased ipsilaterally and decreased contralaterally in the occipital cortex. In addition, synapsin I phosphorylation was increased by 20% in the ipsilateral cortex and by 30% in the hippocampus on this day. These results indicate that the developing brain responds to a mild injury by modifying factors related to synaptic plasticity and suggest that regions remote from the site of injury express neurotrophic signals potentially needed for compensatory responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Sophia Griesbach
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024-7039, USA.
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34
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Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that estrogens may protect the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway affected in Parkinson's disease (PD). Animal studies show that estrogens influence the synthesis, release, and metabolism of dopamine and can modulate dopamine receptor expression and function. Some clinical studies suggest that PD symptoms may be exacerbated after menopause and delayed or alleviated with hormone replacement therapy, but others have failed to observe positive estrogenic effects. The conflicting findings suggest that several variables, including age, estrogen dose and formulation, and timing and length of dosing period, may determine whether benefits are seen and the nature of these benefits. Further investigation is therefore needed for the relationship between estrogens and the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Shulman
- The Rosalyn Newman Scholar of Clinical Research in Parkinson's Disease, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 South Greene Street N4W46, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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Tang Z, Yu Y, Guo H, Zhou J. Induction of tyrosine hydroxylase expression in rat fetal striatal precursor cells following transplantation. Neurosci Lett 2002; 324:13-6. [PMID: 11983283 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(02)00153-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Differentiation of neural stem cells into tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-expressing cells was studied by cell transplantation into the various brain regions of rats that had received 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway. Approximately 13.6-16.1% of survived precursor cells acquired neuronal-like features by expressing the neuronal marker doublecortin. Similarly, 20.7-25.7% of survived precursor cells differentiated into astrocytes following transplantation. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that a fraction of the grafted precursor cells in the anterior part of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), but not in the striatum and the substantia nigra of the lesioned side, showed strong TH immunoreactivity. This suggests that MFB is more permissive for induction of TH to the striatal precursor cells in vivo. The results further exemplify the potential of neural stem cells and the property of site-specific differentiation when the cells were transplanted to the dopaminergic system of the adult brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongshu Tang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, 200031, PR China
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Yurek DM, Fletcher-Turner A. Temporal changes in the neurotrophic environment of the denervated striatum as determined by the survival and outgrowth of grafted fetal dopamine neurons. Brain Res 2002; 931:126-34. [PMID: 11897098 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(02)02258-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
There is growing evidence that the neurotrophic environment of the denervated striatum may change with time following a lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway in young adult rats. To test this hypothesis, we implanted fetal dopamine grafts into the striatum at several different time points relative to the nigrostriatal pathway lesion and allowed the grafts to integrate with the host for a period of 1 month; subsequently, we observed the function and morphology of the dopamine grafts. Fetal grafts were implanted at the following time points relative to the lesion: 1 week before (-1 Week), at the same time (Week 0), 1 week after (1 Week), 4 weeks after (4 Weeks), or 12 weeks after (12 Weeks). Amphetamine-induced rotational behavior was assessed 4 weeks after grafting for all groups. Rotational scores indicate that grafts for the 1 Week group showed the greatest reversal of amphetamine-induced rotational behavior that was also significantly greater than the scores for the -1 Week group. Morphological analysis revealed that grafts in the Week 0, 1 Week and 4 Weeks groups showed a significantly larger area of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive (TH+) fiber outgrowth than in the -1 Week group, while fiber outgrowth for the 12 Weeks group was significantly lower than for the 1 Week group. Cell count analysis for TH+ neurons within the graft indicate a significantly greater number of TH+ neurons in grafts for the 1 Week group than in grafts for the -1 Week. The results of this study suggest that neurotoxic lesions may induce a compensatory increase in neurotrophic activity within the denervated striatum of young rats that is conducive to the survival and outgrowth of fetal dopamine grafts. These data also correlate well with reports that the expression of several specific dopaminergic neurotrophic factors within the striatum increase following a neurotoxic lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway in young adult rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Yurek
- Department of Surgery/Neurosurgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Health Sciences Research Building, Lexington 40536-0305, USA.
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Sometani A, Kataoka H, Nitta A, Fukumitsu H, Nomoto H, Furukawa S. Transforming growth factor-beta1 enhances expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor, TrkB, in neurons cultured from rat cerebral cortex. J Neurosci Res 2001; 66:369-76. [PMID: 11746354 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.1229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The effects of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 on expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its high-affinity receptor, TrkB, in neurons cultured from the cerebral cortex of 18-day-old embryonic rats were examined. BDNF mRNA was significantly increased from 24-48 hr after the TGF-beta1 treatment over 20 ng/ml. Accumulation of BDNF protein in the culture medium was also potentiated by TGF-beta1, although the intracellular content of BDNF was nearly unchanged. The enhancement of BDNF mRNA expression was suppressed by the co-presence of decorin, a small TGF-beta-binding proteoglycan that inhibits the biological activities of TGF-betas. mRNA expression of full-length TrkB, the bioactive high-affinity receptor for BDNF, was also upregulated after treatment with TGF-beta1. These observations suggest that: 1) TGF-beta1 potentiates BDNF/TrkB autocrine or local paracrine system; and 2) the neurotrophic activity of TGF-beta1 is partly responsible for the BDNF induced by TGF-beta1 itself. To test this latter possibility, we examined the neuronal survival activity of TGF-beta1 with or without K252a, a selective inhibitor of Trk family tyrosine kinases. TGF-beta1 significantly enhanced neuronal survival, but the co-presence of K252a completely suppressed the activity, demonstrating the involvement of Trk receptor signaling in TGF-beta1-mediated neuronal survival in cultured rat cortical neurons. These results seem to be in line with recent findings by other investigators that some neurotrophic factors including BDNF require TGF-betas as a cofactor to exert their neurotrophic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Sometani
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan
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Ivanova T, Beyer C. Pre- and postnatal expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA/protein and tyrosine protein kinase receptor B mRNA in the mouse hippocampus. Neurosci Lett 2001; 307:21-4. [PMID: 11516565 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(01)01905-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is implicated in the control of hippocampal development. In this study, we have analyzed the developmental expression of BDNF mRNA/protein and its receptor tyrosine protein kinase receptor (trk) B mRNA in the mouse hippocampus by competitive reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunoassay. Cell-type specificity of BDNF/trkB expression was studied in primary hippocampal cultures. BDNF levels increased stepwise from embryonic day 15 until the second postnatal week, whereas trkB expression was stable throughout development. Neurons and astrocytes expressed both BDNF and trkB. Our data suggest that developmental BDNF action mainly occurs postnatally and indicates that hippocampal neurons and astroglia not only produce BDNF but also appear to be targets for BDNF.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Ivanova
- Abteilung Anatomie und Zellbiologie, Universität Ulm, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
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39
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Growth and functional efficacy of intrastriatal nigral transplants depend on the extent of nigrostriatal degeneration. J Neurosci 2001. [PMID: 11306640 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.21-08-02889.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that the functional efficacy of intrastriatal transplants of fetal dopamine (DA) neurons in the rat Parkinson model depends on their ability to establish a new functional innervation of the denervated striatum. Here we report that the survival, growth, and function of the grafted DA neurons greatly depend on the severity of the lesion of the host nigrostriatal system. Fiber outgrowth, and to a lesser extent also cell survival, were significantly reduced in animals in which part of the intrinsic DA system was left intact. Moreover, graft-induced functional recovery, as assessed in the stepping, paw-use, and apomorphine rotation tests, was obtained only in severely lesioned animals, i.e., in rats with >70% DA denervation of the host striatum. Functional recovery seen in these animals in which the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion was confined to the striatum was more pronounced than that previously obtained in rats with complete lesions of the mesencephalic DA system, indicating that spared portions of the host DA system, particularly those innervating nonstriatal forebrain areas, may be necessary for the grafts to exert their optimal functional effect. These data have implications for the optimal use of fetal nigral transplants in Parkinson patients in different stages of the disease.
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40
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Yurek DM, Fletcher-Turner A. Differential expression of GDNF, BDNF, and NT-3 in the aging nigrostriatal system following a neurotoxic lesion. Brain Res 2001; 891:228-35. [PMID: 11164827 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(00)03217-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Protein levels for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) were measured in the striatum and ventral midbrain of young and aged Brown Norway/F344 F1 (F344BNF(1)) hybrid rats following a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway. At 2 weeks post-lesion, protein levels of BDNF and GDNF were higher in the denervated striatum when compared to the intact striatum for young (4-5 months old) but not old (31-33 months old) rats. Interestingly, in old rats BDNF protein in the denervated striatum was significantly lower than that measured in the intact striatum. At the same time point BDNF protein levels in the ventral midbrain were higher on the lesioned versus intact side for both young and old rats while no significant side differences were detected for GDNF protein in the ventral midbrain of young or old rats. No significant differences in NT-3 protein levels were detected between the lesioned and intact sides for striatal or ventral midbrain regions in either young or old brain. While no significant age effects were detected for BDNF or NT-3 protein, young rats showed higher GDNF protein levels in both the striatum (lesioned or intact) and ventral midbrain (lesioned or intact) than old rats. These data show that two endogenous neurotrophic factors, BDNF and GDNF, are differentially affected by a 6-OHDA lesion in the aging nigrostriatal system with young brain showing a significant compensatory increase of these two factors in the denervated striatum while no compensatory increase is observed in aged brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Yurek
- Department of Surgery/Neurosurgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Health Sciences Research Building, Lexington, Kentucky, KY 40536-0305, USA.
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41
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Zhou J, Shen Y, Tang Z, Xu L, Bradford HF, Yu Y. Striatal extracts promote the survival and phenotypic expression of rat fetal dopaminergic neurons in vitro. Neurosci Lett 2000; 292:5-8. [PMID: 10996436 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(00)01416-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
To begin to identify novel protein(s) that acts on nigral dopaminergic (DA) neurons, we characterized trophic effects of DA-depleted striatum on survival of fetal DA neurons in the present study. Treatment of ventral mesencephalic cultures with the striatal extracts delayed DA cell death in a dose-dependent manner. This effect was partially dependent on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), but not glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), present in the extracts. Furthermore, we addressed the hypothesis that the striatum-derived substances can elicit DA phenotypic expression of striatal cells in cultures. The striatal extract was found to be able to induce expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in cultured striatal cells in the presence of dopamine. These data suggest that denervation of the striatum resulted in production of neurotrophic factors, including BDNF and as-yet-unidentified trophic substances, which may be responsible for the increased survival and DA phenotype expression in DA neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Institute of Physiology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031, People's Republic of, Shanghai, China.
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42
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Yurek DM, Seroogy KB. Differential expression of neurotrophin and neurotrophin receptor mRNAs in and adjacent to fetal midbrain grafts implanted into the dopamine-denervated striatum. J Comp Neurol 2000; 423:462-73. [PMID: 10870086 DOI: 10.1002/1096-9861(20000731)423:3<462::aid-cne9>3.0.co;2-u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the expression of neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors in the lesion/transplanted striatum at four different time points after transplantation. The ventral mesencephalic region was dissected from a single rat fetus at embryonic day 14 (E14) and implanted into the denervated striatum of rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions. Transplanted rats were killed at 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks after transplantation surgery and the brains subsequently prepared for semiquantitative in situ hybridization analysis of neurotrophin and neurotrophin trk receptors. Hybridization of cRNA probes for trkB or trkC showed a time-dependent reduction within the transplant during the first 4 weeks after transplantation; hybridization of brain-derived neurotrophic factor or tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA probes within the transplant did not change significantly during the same posttransplantation period. Hybridization of the trkB mRNA probe in host striatum adjacent to the transplant was significantly higher than probe hybridization in the corresponding region of the intact striatum during the first 2 weeks after transplantation, but by the 3rd and 4th week, probe hybridization in the denervated/transplanted and intact striatum were the same. Lesioned animals without transplants maintained higher trkB mRNA probe hybridization in the denervated striatum than in the intact striatum at the same postlesion time points suggesting that lesioned/transplanted animals show a normalization of trkB mRNA probe hybridization. Hybridization of the trkC mRNA probe in the lesioned/transplanted striatum was significantly lower than that observed in the intact striatum 4 weeks after transplantation; however, at this same time point we observed a similar reduction of trkC probed hybridization in lesioned animals without transplants. The results of the study show dynamic neurotrophic activity occurring within the transplant and host tissue during the first month of transplant development.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Yurek
- Department of Surgery/Neurosurgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington 40536, USA.
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43
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Aliaga E, Cárcamo C, Abarca J, Tapia-Arancibia L, Bustos G. Transient increase of brain derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression in substantia nigra reticulata after partial lesion of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway. BRAIN RESEARCH. MOLECULAR BRAIN RESEARCH 2000; 79:150-5. [PMID: 10925152 DOI: 10.1016/s0169-328x(00)00095-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
By using non-isostopic in situ hybridization we have demonstrated a transient increase of BDNF mRNA in the lateral subregion of the substantia nigra pars reticulata 1 week after intrastriatal application of 6-OH-DA. These changes correlate with a partial reduction of dopamine (DA) content in the striatum but with a normal tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in substantia nigra pars compacta. Our data suggest that non-DA, BDNF expressing cells in substantia nigra pars reticulata may play a role in neuronal protection after partial lesions of the DA nigrostriatal pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Aliaga
- Laboratorio de Farmacología-Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago
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44
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Yurek DM, Fletcher-Turner A. Lesion-induced increase of BDNF is greater in the striatum of young versus old rat brain. Exp Neurol 2000; 161:392-6. [PMID: 10683304 DOI: 10.1006/exnr.1999.7274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Young (4-5 month old) and old (32-34 month old) Brown Norway/F344 hybrid rats were given unilateral 6-OHDA lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway. Four weeks later tissue from the lesioned or intact striatum or ventral midbrain was dissected and analyzed for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein levels using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. BDNF protein content was greater in the lesioned striatum than in the intact striatum for all young rats, and the increased BDNF content in the lesioned striatum of young rats was directly correlated with severity of lesion as determined by rotational scores. BDNF content in the lesioned striatum increased in less than half of the old rats and was not significantly different than BDNF content in the intact striatum. BDNF content in the lesioned substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA) was greater than BDNF content in the intact SN/VTA for both young and old rats. These data suggest that an age-related difference in activity of at least one neurotrophic factor, BDNF, occur within the denervated striatum following a neurotoxic lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Yurek
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536-0305, USA
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45
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Kolbeck R, Bartke I, Eberle W, Barde YA. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in the nervous system of wild-type and neurotrophin gene mutant mice. J Neurochem 1999; 72:1930-8. [PMID: 10217270 DOI: 10.1046/j.1471-4159.1999.0721930.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Although brain-derived neurotrophic factor is the most abundant and widely distributed neurotrophin in the nervous system, reproducible determinations of its levels have been hampered by difficulties in raising suitable monoclonal antibodies. Following immunization of mice with recombinant fish and mammalian brain-derived neurotrophic factor, monoclonal antibodies were generated and used in an immunoassay based on the recognition of two different epitopes. Neither antibody crossreacts with neurotrophin homodimers other than brain-derived neurotrophic factor, although reactivity was detected with brain-derived neurotrophic factor/neurotrophin-3 heterodimers. As both nerve growth factor and neurotrophin-3 are known to affect the development of a variety of neurons expressing the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (bdnf) gene, this assay was used to determine levels in tissues isolated from newborn mice carrying a null mutation in the nerve growth factor (ngf) or the neurotrophin-3 (nt3) gene. Marked differences were observed between mutants and wild-type littermates in the PNS, but not in the CNS, suggesting that neither nerve growth factor nor neurotrophin-3 is a unique regulator of brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in the newborn mouse CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Kolbeck
- Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
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46
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Maragos WF, Jakel RJ, Pang Z, Geddes JW. 6-Hydroxydopamine injections into the nigrostriatal pathway attenuate striatal malonate and 3-nitropropionic acid lesions. Exp Neurol 1998; 154:637-44. [PMID: 9878198 DOI: 10.1006/exnr.1998.6918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The mitochondrial inhibitors malonate and 3-nitropropionic (3NP) acid are potent neurotoxins in vivo. Administration of these compounds results in neuronal loss similar to that seen in Huntington's disease. Although the mechanism of cell death produced by these compounds likely involves activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, it remains unclear why the striatum demonstrates regional susceptibility to the toxicity of these and other mitochondrial poisons. We hypothesized that dopamine, a weak neurotoxin that occurs in high concentrations in the striatum, may contribute to the neuronal damage caused by mitochondrial inhibition. We investigated whether depletion of striatal dopamine using the catecholaminergic toxin 6-hydroxydopamine would attenuate lesions induced by mitochondrial inhibition. We found that dopamine depletion reduced significantly the extent of histological damage in the striatum elicited by both intraparenchymal injections of 0.8 micromol malonate and 20 mg/kg systemic administration of 3NP. These data suggest that dopamine or one of its metabolites may contribute to mitochondrial toxin-induced cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- W F Maragos
- Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536-0284, USA
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47
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Zhou J, Bradford HF. Nerve growth factors and the control of neurotransmitter phenotype selection in the mammalian central nervous system. Prog Neurobiol 1997; 53:27-43. [PMID: 9330422 DOI: 10.1016/s0301-0082(97)00030-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Determination of neurotransmitter phenotype in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) has been intensively characterized. However, relatively little is known about the underlying molecular and biochemical events involved in determination of transmitter phenotype in the central nervous system (CNS). It has been well established that nerve growth factors regulate cell growth and differentiation. They are increasingly recognized as playing an important role in many decision-making steps during development. Published data suggest that neurotransmitter phenotype is determined largely by exogenous stimuli, such as nerve growth factors--acidic/basic fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor, neurotrophins, etc., working in concert with the genetic programmes. They exert potent effects independently or synergistically with other molecules by acting either on neural precursor cells or differentiated neuronal cells. However, the process of transmitter phenotype determination in the CNS is only beginning to be understood, with more uncharacterized substances, with considerable potency in this respect being reported and in need of isolation and further study. These studies will bring great advances in our existing knowledge of brain development and have potential value for the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College of Science and Technology and Medicine, London, U.K
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48
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Zhou J, Bradford HF, Stern GM. Influence of BDNF on the expression of the dopaminergic phenotype of tissue used for brain transplants. BRAIN RESEARCH. DEVELOPMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH 1997; 100:43-51. [PMID: 9174245 DOI: 10.1016/s0165-3806(97)00019-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has previously been shown by this laboratory among others to promote survival and differentiation of central dopaminergic neurons and to stimulate expression of the dopaminergic phenotype in fetal cerebrocortex in vitro. We have examined the effect of BDNF antibody on nigral dopaminergic neurons in vivo and in vitro. It reduced the survival of rat fetal dopaminergic neurons in culture (up to 40% died). The BDNF antibody also caused ipsilateral rotation after a single in vivo intranigral injection in the adult rats. Pre-treatment of fetal nigral neurons with BDNF improved the performance of dopaminergic cells in fetal nigral transplants based on surviving TH+ cells numbers. Thus, parkinsonian rats receiving fetal nigral cells treated with BDNF showed a significantly greater reduction of turning over the 3 weeks following transplantation, compared with the rats receiving untreated nigral transplants. However, the average number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons in the grafts of rats receiving fetal nigral cells treated with BDNF was 211 +/- 35 which was only about 20% of the cell number (1012 +/- 223, mean +/- S.E.M.) found in those receiving untreated nigral transplants. These results suggest that pretreatment of nigral dopaminergic neurons with BDNF may improve their functional performance, but not their survival in transplants. The ability of artificially induced cerebrocortical 'dopaminergic' cells to ameliorate behavioral asymmetry of Parkinsonian rats was assessed. A proportion (1.0% maximum) of the TH+ neurons in these transplants survived in the host brain and were likely to be responsible for the prominent reduction in rotation scores observed to occur 6 weeks after implantation. Thus, the combined treatment of fetal cerebral cortex with BDNF and dopamine created long-lived TH-expressing neuronal populations which were very effective in alleviating the rat parkinsonian model, and thus may be suitable for use in transplantation in treating human Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK
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