title: Quantitation of the levels of tyrosine hydroxylase and preproenkephalin mRNAs in nigrostriatal sites after 6-hydroxydopamine lesions.
abstract: Expression of the striatal proenkephalin gene is modulated by dopaminergic input from the substantia nigra (SN). We have used rapid, specific and sensitive solution hybridization assays for the quantitation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA, preproenkephalin (PPenk) mRNA and total cellular RNA to compare ipsilateral and contralateral levels of these RNAs in tissue dissected from the origin and termination of the nigrostriatal pathway of individual rats following sham (vehicle) or 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) induced lesions of the SN. Three weeks after treatment the rats that had received 6-OHDA, but not sham treated controls, demonstrated a characteristic contralateral rotation in response to apomorphine. Four weeks after 6-OHDA treatment, TH mRNA levels were reduced below the limits of sensitivity of the assay (1 pg/ug RNA) in ipsilateral SN while the levels of TH mRNA in contralateral SN (4.8 pg/ug RNA) did not differ from that in sham treated animals. PPenk mRNA levels in striatum were increased 3 fold to 64.9 pg/ug RNA on the side of the 6-OHDA lesions while the contralateral PPenk mRNA levels (21.6 pg/ug RNA) did not differ from sham treatment. The 6-OHDA treatment did not alter the levels of total cellular RNA in either SN or striatum. These results provide quantitative evidence for the tonic inhibition of striatal proenkephalin gene expression by the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY 10021.
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: S O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Inturrisi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016627:Oxidopamine; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004745:Enkephalins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016627:Oxidopamine; C033660:preproenkephalin; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D001058:Apomorphine; D004298:Dopamine