title: Absence of prostate apoptosis response-4 protein in substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease autopsies.
abstract: The morphological evidence for apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains a conflicting issue. The present study examined autopsy material containing substantia nigra and putamen of PD ( n=7) and control subjects ( n=5) for the expression of prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) protein, a protein expressed by apoptotic cells. Par-4 was not detected in the substantia nigra pars compacta. By contrast, duodenal enterocytes, which served as positive controls and are known to be apoptotic, profoundly expressed Par-4. The present study is in agreement with previous studies of the substantia nigra pars compacta in PD, which failed to detect molecules expressed by apoptotic cells. The absence of Par-4 immunoreactivity suggests that death of dopaminergic neurons in PD follows a degenerative pathway that circumvents the induction of Par-4.
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D001344:Autopsy; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D020895:Enterocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D011699:Putamen / Q000378:metabolism*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C101296:prostate apoptosis response-4 protein; D004298:Dopamine