title: Patterns of developmental mRNA expression of neurturin and GFRalpha2 in the rat striatum and substantia nigra do not suggest a role in the regulation of natural cell death in dopamine neurons.
abstract: We examined the mRNA expression of neurturin (NTN) and its receptor GFRalpha2 in rat substantia nigra (SN) and striatum by northern analysis at ages ranging from postnatal day (PND) 2 to adult. NTN mRNA expression is developmentally regulated in striatum with a peak at PND10, but its expression in striatum is low, and less than that of SN. In SN, there is no developmental regulation. GFRalpha2 was expressed most highly during the first two postnatal weeks. Like NTN, GFRalpha2 mRNA was also more abundant in SN, at both PND2 and 14. Our results show that NTN expression is relatively low in the striatum, the target of dopamine (DA) neurons, and there is no apparent pattern of developmental regulation in SN. Thus these studies are not strongly supportive of a role for NTN in regulating natural cell death (NCD) in DA neurons, either as a target-derived or as a local paracrine factor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: JinWhan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Nikolai G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Kholodilov
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Burke
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015152:Blotting, Northern / Q000379:methods; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology; D051097:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptors; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D051101:Neurturin; D011247:Pregnancy; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C494992:Gfra2 protein, rat; D051097:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptors; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D051101:Neurturin; C495057:Nrtn protein, rat; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D004298:Dopamine