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Tyrosine Hydroxylase mRNA Expression by Dopaminergic Neurons in Culture: Effect of 1 -Methyl-4-Phenylpyridinium Treatment

Tyrosine Hydroxylase mRNA Expression by Dopaminergic Neurons in Culture: Effect of 1 -Methyl-4-Phenylpyridinium Treatment

Authors :
Patrick P. Michel
Klaus D. Beck
Menek Goldstein
Giulio Maria Pasinetti
Halina Zawadzka
Franz Hefti
Beat Knusel
Source :
Journal of Neurochemistry. 57:527-532
Publication Year :
1991
Publisher :
Wiley, 1991.

Abstract

To enable us to study expression of tyrosine hydroxylase [TH; tyrosine 3-monooxygenase; L-tyrosine tetrahydropteridine:oxygen oxidoreductase (3-hydroxylating); EC 1.14.16.2] as a measure of dopaminergic neuron function in future experiments, methods were developed to quantify TH mRNA levels in cultures of dopaminergic mesencephalic cells. The model of selective dopaminergic toxicity of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) was used to verify the specificity of our methods. Fetal (embryonic day 15) rat ventral mesencephalic cell cultures were treated with 15 microM MPP+ for 48 h, conditions previously shown to reduce the number of TH-immunoreactive neurons, TH activity, and dopamine uptake to 5-10% of control values. This treatment decreased the number of neurons labeled by TH in situ hybridization to 9% of untreated controls and caused a strong reduction of the abundance of TH mRNA in Northern blots. Our findings establish TH mRNA expression as a parameter for future studies of toxic and trophic effects on cultured dopaminergic neurons, and they support the view that MPP+ destroys dopaminergic neurons.

Details

ISSN :
14714159 and 00223042
Volume :
57
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Journal of Neurochemistry
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....959a9130135f1ddbafc57f99e2132583
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.1991.tb03782.x