title: Dopamine transporter is required for in vivo MPTP neurotoxicity: evidence from mice lacking the transporter.
abstract: The neurotoxic effect of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) was tested on mice lacking the dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT-/- mice). Striatal tissue DA content and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) mRNA expression were assessed as markers of MPTP neurotoxicity. MPTP (30 mg/kg, s.c., b.i.d.) produced an 87% decrease in tissue DA levels and a 29-fold increase in the level of GFAP mRNA in the striatum of wild-type animals 48 h after administration. Conversely, there were no significant changes in either parameter in DAT-/- mice. Heterozygotes demonstrated partial sensitivity to MPTP administration as shown by an intermediate value (48%) of tissue DA loss. Direct intrastriatal infusion of the active metabolite of MPTP, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+; 10 mM), via a microdialysis probe produced a massive efflux of DA in wild-type mice (>320-fold). In the DAT-/- mice the same treatment produced a much smaller increase in extracellular DA (sixfold), which is likely secondary to tissue damage due to the implantation of the dialysis probe. These observations show that the DAT is a mandatory component for expression of MPTP toxicity in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute Laboratories, Department of Cell Biology and Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, U.S.A.
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Gainetdinov
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fumagalli
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Caron
mesh_terms: D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006579:Heterozygote; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006720:Homozygote; D007700:Kinetics; D020267:MPTP Poisoning; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000633:toxicity; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013997:Time Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009498:Neurotoxins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C493215:Slc6a3 protein, mouse; D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D004298:Dopamine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid