title: Retrograde dopaminergic neuron degeneration following intrastriatal proteasome inhibition.
abstract: Recent studies have suggested that defects in the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) contribute to the etiopathogenetic mechanisms underlying dopaminergic neuronal degeneration in Parkinson's disease. The present study aims to study the effects of proteasome inhibition in the nerve terminals of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Following a unilaterally intrastriatal injection of lactacystin, a selective proteasome inhibitor, dopaminergic neurons in the ipsilateral SNpc progressively degenerated with alpha-synuclein-immunopositive intracytoplasmic inclusions. When lactacystin was administered at a high concentration, the striatum was simultaneously involved, and alpha-synuclein-immunopositive extracytoplasmic granules appeared extensively within the SN pars reticulata (SNpr). In addition, during the retrograde neuron degeneration in SN, the level of heme oxygenase-1 immunopositivity, an oxidative stress marker, was markedly increased in SNpc neurons. These results reveal that intrastriatal proteasome inhibition sufficiently induces retrograde dopaminergic neuronal degeneration with abundant accumulation of alpha-synuclein in the SN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Wakayama Medical University, 811-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama-city, Wakayama 641-8510, Japan. h-miwa@wakayama-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hideto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Katsunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.forename: Tomoyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondo
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000166:cytology*; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000378:metabolism; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012183:Retrograde Degeneration / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism; D051843:Synucleins; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D051844:alpha-Synuclein
chemical_list: D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C497606:Snca protein, rat; D051843:Synucleins; D051844:alpha-Synuclein; C067713:lactacystin; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing); D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine; D000111:Acetylcysteine