title: Induced dopaminergic neurons: A new promise for Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Motor symptoms that define Parkinson's disease (PD) are caused by the selective loss of nigral dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Cell replacement therapy for PD has been focused on midbrain DA neurons derived from human fetal mesencephalic tissue, human embryonic stem cells (hESC) or human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). Recent development in the direct conversion of human fibroblasts to induced dopaminergic (iDA) neurons offers new opportunities for transplantation study and disease modeling in PD. The iDA neurons are generated directly from human fibroblasts in a short period of time, bypassing lengthy differentiation process from human pluripotent stem cells and the concern for potentially tumorigenic mitotic cells. They exhibit functional dopaminergic neurotransmission and relieve locomotor symptoms in animal models of Parkinson's disease. In this review, we will discuss this recent development and its implications to Parkinson's disease research and therapy.
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY 14215, USA; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA; Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Health Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Zhimin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Health Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Xingkun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY 14215, USA; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
authors.forename: Houbo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
authors.forename: Haley
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Health Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Shengdi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY 14215, USA; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA. Electronic address: jianfeng@buffalo.edu.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D059290:Dopaminergic Neurons / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D000066449:Human Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Induced dopaminergic neuron; Induced neuron; Induced pluripotent stem cell; Parkinson’s disease; Transcription factor