title: Significant up-regulation of nestin protein in the neostriatum of MPTP-treated mice. Are the striatal astrocytes regionally activated after systemic MPTP administration?
abstract: We are interested in the possible role of central glial cells in pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease of mammals. Parkinsonism model was induced by systemic 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) administration, and the reactive glial cells were examined by immunocytochemical visualization of nestin protein in the brains and spinal cords of C57 mice. Abundant nestin-like immunoreactivity was predominately found in the caudate putamen of MPTP-treated mice and about 481-fold of nestin-like immunoreactive cells increased compared with that of control animals, indicating that significant up-regulation of nestin protein occurred in these regions. Majority of nestin-like immunoreactive cells characterized with astrocytic profiles of multiple, radical and hypotrophic processes, and showed a distribution and dynamic patterns similar to that of glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP)-immunoreactive cells in the caudate putamen. Double immunofluorescence confirmed that 100% of nestin-like immunoreactive cells exhibited GFAP-immunoreactivity while nestin/GFAP double-labeled cells constituted about 84% of total GFAP-immunoreactive cells in the caudate putamen, indicating these nestin-like immunoreactive cells belong to a reactive population of the astrocytes. On the other hand, no obvious changes of nestin- or GFAP-like immunoreactivities were detected in the globus pallidus, the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area after MPTP-treatment. The results have provided morphological evidence for the regional activation of astrocytic glial cells following systemic MPTP administration, suggesting that a large population of reactive striatal astrocytes might play an important role in initial pathogenesis or acute stage of Parkinson's disease in mammals.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, PR China. lwchen@pub.xaonline.com
authors.forename: L-W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: L-C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: H-L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Z-R
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D020267:MPTP Poisoning / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D064231:Nestin; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015259:Dopamine Agents; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C577485:Nes protein, mouse; D064231:Nestin; D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine