title: Rapamycin protects against neuron death in in vitro and in vivo models of Parkinson's disease.
abstract: We report that rapamycin, an allosteric inhibitor of certain but not all actions of the key cellular kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), protects neurons from death in both cellular and animal toxin models of Parkinson's disease (PD). This protective action appears to be attributable to blocked translation of RTP801/REDD1/Ddit4, a protein that is induced in cell and animal models of PD and in affected neurons of PD patients and that causes neuron death by leading to dephosphorylation of the survival kinase Akt. In support of this mechanism, in PD models, rapamycin spares phosphorylation of Akt at a site critical for maintenance of its survival-promoting activity. The capacity of rapamycin to provide neuroprotection in PD models appears to arise from its selective suppression of some but not all actions of mTOR, as indicated by the contrasting finding that Torin1, a full catalytic mTOR inhibitor, is not protective and induces Akt dephosphorylation and neuron death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA. cm2273@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Malagelada
authors.forename: Zong Hao
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Vernice
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jackson-Lewis
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Przedborski
authors.forename: Lloyd A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Greene
mesh_terms: D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016627:Oxidopamine / Q000633:toxicity; D016716:PC12 Cells; D010300:Parkinson Disease; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012694:Serine / Q000378:metabolism; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C469991:DDIT4 protein, human; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D014157:Transcription Factors; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D012694:Serine; D016627:Oxidopamine; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor; D003513:Cycloheximide; D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; C546842:MTOR protein, human; C546843:mTOR protein, mouse; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D020123:Sirolimus