DJ-1 and Parkin modulate dopamine-dependent behavior and inhibit MPTP-induced nigral dopamine neuron loss in mice.

Parkin-deficient animals exhibit mitochondrial degeneration and increased oxidative stress vulnerability, and both mice and flies lacking DJ-1 are hypersensitive to environmental toxins associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). We used recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene transfer to study the influence of DJ-1 and Parkin on the dopaminergic system of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated mice, a model for sporadic PD. After MPTP lesioning, significantly more dopamine neurons survived in the virus-injected substantia nigra of the AAV-DJ-1 and AAV-Parkin mice when compared with AAV-enhanced green fluorescent protein injected controls. Protection at the neuronal level was supported by increased amphetamine-induced contralateral turning behavior. Normal mice expressing DJ-1 showed apomorphine-induced ipsilateral turning, suggesting a hyporesponsiveness of striatal dopamine D1 receptors in the DJ-1-expressing hemisphere. MPTP drastically reduced dopamine to 19% of normal levels and neither DJ-1 nor Parkin protected against MPTP-induced catecholamine loss under these conditions. Our results show that Parkin and DJ-1 inhibit dopamine neuron death and enhance amphetamine-induced dopaminergic function in a mouse model of idiopathic PD. However, DJ-1 overexpression also reduced postsynaptic dopamine receptor responses in normal mice. These results warrant further exploration of DJ-1 and Parkin gene therapy for PD, although a better understanding of their effects on behavior and dopamine neurotransmission is required before these proteins can be safely used.     

Neuroprotective Effect of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound on the Mouse MPTP/MPP+ Model of Dopaminergic Neuron Injury

Ultrasound mediated neuromodulation has been demonstrated to a safe treatment strategy in the field of neuroscience. In this study, low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) was used to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) models induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP⁺) to explore the possibility of ultrasound neuroprotective effect on PD. The results demonstrated that LIPUS treatment can attenuate the central neurotoxicity of MPTP in mice, reduce the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase positive neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and decrease the apoptosis in the section of substantia nigra. The movement and balance dysfunctions in PD mice were improved with LIPUS treatment. In addition, we demonstrated that LIPUS can inhibit the decreased activity and increased apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons induced by MPP⁺, restrain the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential caused by MPP⁺. Moreover, LIPUS stimulation alone did not cause any cytotoxicity and tissue damage in our study. Taken together, the protective and regulatory effects of LIPUS on dopaminergic neurons make it possible as a new, safe and noninvasive treatment for PD.     

Structure-activity study of the mechanism of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced neurotoxicity. II. Evaluation of the biological activity of the pyridinium metabolites formed from the monoamine oxidase-catalyzed oxidation of MPTP analogs

In the accompanying paper, several tetrahydropyridine analogs of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) were screened for their abilities to be oxidized by monoamine oxidase (MAO) to pyridiniums and to produce neurotoxicity in mice. We reported that most of the analogs were oxidized by MAO to pyridiniums and some of the analogs were neurotoxic. We concluded that the capacity of a tetrahydropyridine MPTP analog to be oxidized by MAO to a pyridinium was a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for the compound to be a neurotoxin. In the present paper we attempt to explain further the neurotoxicity or lack of neurotoxicity of these analogs by evaluating the abilities of the pyridinium compounds to serve as substrates for the neostriatal dopamine (DA) transport system and as inhibitors of mitochondrial respiration. We now report that all of the neurotoxic MPTP analogs are oxidized to pyridiniums that are good substrates for the neostriatal DA carrier and good inhibitors of mitochondrial respiration. The results are consistent with an important role for both uptake of the pyridiniums by the DA carrier and inhibition by the pyridiniums of mitochondrial respiration in the neurotoxicity induced by MPTP and its analogs.     

MPTP诱导多巴胺能神经元凋亡规律和尼古丁神经保护作用的研究

目的:探讨1-甲基-4-苯基-1,2,3,6-四氢吡啶(MPTP)诱导小鼠多巴胺能神经元凋亡的规律以及尼古丁对其的保护作用。方法:取28只小鼠(PD组)腹腔注射MPTP 30 mg/(kg·d),共7 d,建立小鼠帕金森病模型;取4只小鼠(Nic组)腹腔注射尼古丁(2 mg/kg,每天5次,共17 d);取4只小鼠(Nic+MPTP组)给予尼古丁预处理和MPTP;取4只小鼠(对照组)仅给予等量生理盐水。应用酪氨酸羟化酶(TH)免疫组织化学染色和TUNEL染色,观察各组黑质多巴胺能神经元数目改变和凋亡细胞的变化规律。结果:慢性MPTP处理过程中,小鼠黑质TH阳性细胞数逐渐减少,于MPTP注射第3天开始出现TUNEL阳性细胞,并于第8天达到高峰。与PD组相比,Nic+MPTP组TH阳性细胞丢失和TUNEL阳性细胞增多的程度显著降低(P<0.05)。结论:采用慢性MPTP处理的模式,可诱导小鼠黑质多巴胺能神经元凋亡;尼古丁对这类神经元具有明显保护作用。     

Mitochondrial and metabolic toxicity of 1-methyl-4-(2'-methylphenyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine

In previous studies and in the accompanying paper, 1-methyl-4-(2'-methylphenyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (2'CH3-MPTP) was found to be more potent than MPTP in producing dopaminergic neurotoxicity in mice. One purpose of the present study was to determine whether 1-methyl-4-(2'-methylphenyl)pyridinium (2'CH3-MPP+), the primary oxidation product of 2'CH3-MPTP both in vivo and in vitro, inhibits mitochondrial respiration as does 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), the primary oxidation product of MPTP. Another aim was to determine whether treatments which modify MPTP- and 2'CH3-MPTP-induced neurotoxicity in vivo also cause parallel changes in the metabolic toxicity of these compounds. It was found that 2'CH3-MPP+, like MPP+, inhibited the oxidation of NAD(H)-linked substrates by isolated brain mitochondria in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, whereas succinate oxidation was not affected. Thus, the effect was on Complex I in the electron transport chain. Furthermore, 2'CH3-MPP+, like MPP+, enhanced lactate formation by neostriatal tissue slices as would be expected if Complex respiration were inhibited. MPP+ was slightly more potent than 2'CH3-MPP+ in both of these studies. However, 2'CH3-MPTP was several-fold more potent than MPTP in increasing lactate accumulation by the neostriatal slices. This difference in potency correlated with the differing capacities of 2'CH3-MPTP and MPTP to be oxidized by monoamine oxidase (MAO).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Mechanism of specific dopaminergic neuronal death in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by progressive degeneration of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons of the nigrostriatal system, with resulting reduction in striatal dopamine (DA) concentration. Various mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of PD. Among them, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation and oxidative stress had been accepted as the most plausible mechanism of disease progression. The free radicals/oxidative stress produced by MPTP, 6-hydroxydopamine, rotenone, activated microglias, and disturbances in mitochondrial respiratory enzymes provide a common pathway for the progression of all kinds of neurons. On the other hand, numerous studies on DA-induced neurotoxicity have been reported recently, and DA itself exerts cytotoxicity in DAergic neurons mainly due to the generation of highly reactive DA -quinones which are DAergic neuron-specific cytotoxic molecules. DA quinones may irreversibly alter protein function through the formation 5-cysteinyl-dopamine on the protein. For example, the formation of DA quinone-alpha-synuclein complex consequently increases cytotoxic protofibrils and covalent modification of functional enzymes. Thus, DA quinones play an important role in 'specific' DAergic neuro-degeneration of PD.     

Environmental neurotoxic chemicals-induced ubiquitin proteasome system dysfunction in the pathogenesis and progression of Parkinson's disease

Proteolytic degradation of unwanted proteins by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is critical for normal maintenance of various cellular functions. Parkinson's disease (PD), one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders, is characterized by prominent and irreversible nigral dopaminergic neuronal loss and intracellular protein aggregations. Epidemiological studies imply both environmental neurotoxins and genetic predisposition as potential risk factors for PD, though mechanisms underlying selective dopaminergic degeneration remain unclear. Studies with experimental PD models and postmortem PD brains have provided explicit evidence for mitochondria dysfunction and oxidative stress in PD pathogenesis. Recent identification of mutants in PINK1, DJ-1, Parkin, and LRRK-2 genes compliments the oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction hypotheses in dopaminergic neuronal degeneration in PD. Mutants of alpha-synuclein, Uch-L1 and Parkin support the involvement of UPS dysfunction in PD. Furthermore, various Parkinsonian toxicants have been shown to impair mitochondrial function, redox balances, and to some extent protein degradation machinery. Because environmental exposure to various neurotoxic agents is considered a dominant risk for development of PD, the interrelationship between neurotoxicant exposures and UPS dysfunction must be clearly understood. Elucidation of this interrelationship will help clarify 2 areas: (i) whether UPS dysfunction in PD is a primary pathogenic factor leading to nigral neuronal death or if it simply occurs as a consequence of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction and (ii) the interaction of genes and environment in the acceleration of nigral dopaminergic degeneration by targeting UPS. We review the recent evidence for UPS deficits in dopaminergic degeneration triggered by neurotoxins.     

Involvment of Cytosolic and Mitochondrial GSK-3β in Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Neuronal Cell Death of MPTP/MPP+-Treated Neurons

Aberrant mitochondrial function appears to play a central role in dopaminergic neuronal loss in Parkinson's disease (PD). 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium iodide (MPP⁺), the active metabolite of N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), is a selective inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I and is widely used in rodent and cell models to elicit neurochemical alterations associated with PD. Recent findings suggest that Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β (GSK-3β), a critical activator of neuronal apoptosis, is involved in the dopaminergic cell death. In this study, the role of GSK-3β in modulating MPP⁺-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal death was examined in vivo, and in two neuronal cell models namely primary cultured and immortalized neurons. In both cell models, MPTP/MPP⁺ treatment caused cell death associated with time- and concentration-dependent activation of GSK-3β, evidenced by the increased level of the active form of the kinase, i.e. GSK-3β phosphorylated at tyrosine 216 residue. Using immunocytochemistry and subcellular fractionation techniques, we showed that GSK-3β partially localized within mitochondria in both neuronal cell models. Moreover, MPP⁺ treatment induced a significant decrease of the specific phospho-Tyr216-GSK-3β labeling in mitochondria concomitantly with an increase into the cytosol. Using two distinct fluorescent probes, we showed that MPP⁺ induced cell death through the depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential. Inhibition of GSK-3β activity using well-characterized inhibitors, LiCl and kenpaullone, and RNA interference, prevented MPP⁺-induced cell death by blocking mitochondrial membrane potential changes and subsequent caspase-9 and -3 activation. These results indicate that GSK-3β is a critical mediator of MPTP/MPP⁺-induced neurotoxicity through its ability to regulate mitochondrial functions. Inhibition of GSK-3β activity might provide protection against mitochondrial stress-induced cell death.     

人参皂甙Rgl对帕金森病小鼠神经保护作用初探

目的 研究人参皂甙Rg1在对帕金森病(PD)黑质多巴胺能神经元凋亡的可能机制及其神经保护作用. 方法 采用神经毒素1-甲基4-苯基-1,2,3,6-四氢吡啶(MPTP)制备PD小鼠模型,免疫组织化学法与蛋白印迹法观察各组小鼠黑质酪氨酸羟化酶(TH)和促凋亡基因Caspase-3表达变化;原位末端标记法(TUNEL)观察黑质细胞凋亡数量变化. 结果 人参皂甙Rg1干预组黑质TH阳性神经元细胞丢失明显减轻(31% vs.55%)(P相似文献   

Hsp104 antagonizes alpha-synuclein aggregation and reduces dopaminergic degeneration in a rat model of Parkinson disease

Parkinson disease (PD) is characterized by dopaminergic neurodegeneration and intracellular inclusions of alpha-synuclein amyloid fibers, which are stable and difficult to dissolve. Whether inclusions are neuroprotective or pathological remains controversial, because prefibrillar oligomers may be more toxic than amyloid inclusions. Thus, whether therapies should target inclusions, preamyloid oligomers, or both is a critically important issue. In yeast, the protein-remodeling factor Hsp104 cooperates with Hsp70 and Hsp40 to dissolve and reactivate aggregated proteins. Metazoans, however, have no Hsp104 ortholog. Here we introduced Hsp104 into a rat PD model. Remarkably, Hsp104 reduced formation of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein inclusions and prevented nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration induced by PD-linked alpha-synuclein (A30P). An in vitro assay employing pure proteins revealed that Hsp104 prevented fibrillization of alpha-synuclein and PD-linked variants (A30P, A53T, E46K). Hsp104 coupled ATP hydrolysis to the disassembly of preamyloid oligomers and amyloid fibers composed of alpha-synuclein. Furthermore, the mammalian Hsp70 and Hsp40 chaperones, Hsc70 and Hdj2, enhanced alpha-synuclein fiber disassembly by Hsp104. Hsp104 likely protects dopaminergic neurons by antagonizing toxic alpha-synuclein assemblies and might have therapeutic potential for PD and other neurodegenerative amyloidoses.     

Pinhole SPECT imaging of dopamine transporters correlates with dopamine transporter immunohistochemical analysis in the MPTP mouse model of Parkinson's disease

The in vivo analysis of dopaminergic degeneration in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD), using pinhole single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), ideally should afford a serial study design, enabling the analysis of the degenerative process as well as the potential neuroprotective and/or restorative properties of drugs over time in living animals. Previously, we demonstrated that striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) levels in rats could be analyzed reproducibly, using pinhole SPECT with the DAT probe [(123)I]N-omega-fluoropropyl-2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-{4-iodophenyl}nortropane (FP-CIT). However, the capacity of this approach to accurately detect a range of striatal DAT levels in the most widely used animal model of PD, i.e., the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated mouse, remains to be determined. For this purpose, various levels of DAT were induced by treating c57BL/6J mice for 1, 3, or 5 days with MPTP (25 mg/kg ip), respectively. [(123)I]FP-CIT SPECT scans were performed 5 days after the last MPTP injection. Mice were perfused 6 days after the last MPTP injection, and the SPECT data were compared to ex vivo striatal and nigral DAT levels as measured by immunohistochemistry within the same animals. The analysis of striatal DAT levels using SPECT and DAT immunohistochemistry yielded highly comparable results on the percentage of DAT reduction in each MPTP group. The in vivo data showed a decrease of specific striatal to non-specific binding ratios by 59%, 82%, and 76% in mice treated for 1, 3, and 5 days, respectively. Moreover, a strong, positive correlation was observed between the in vivo and ex vivo parameters. The present study provides the first evidence that [(123)I]FP-CIT pinhole SPECT allows the accurate detection of a range of striatal DAT (i.e., losses of approximately 60-80%) levels in mice. Since such large dopaminergic lesions could be detected, this SPECT method may at least be useful for analyzing neuroprotective treatment with a clear-cut positive (i.e., complete protection) or negative (i.e., not any protection) effect. Whether this method is also useful for analyzing more subtle effects of neuroprotective treatment (partial protection) remains to be established, by studying mice with small dopaminergic lesions.     

Dopaminergic neurotoxicity of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium analogs in cultured neurons: relationship to the dopamine uptake system and inhibition of mitochondrial respiration.

Several analogs of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) were evaluated for their affinity for the dopamine uptake system and their ability to inhibit NADH dehydrogenase (complex I) of the mitochondrial electron-transport chain. Moreover, these compounds were tested for their ability to cause selective dopaminergic neurotoxicity in cultured mesencephalic neurons. Simultaneous [3H]dopamine and gamma-amino-[14C]butyric acid uptake and immunocytochemical techniques were used as indices of neuronal damage in cultured cells. The compounds that were potent and selective dopaminergic neurotoxins had high affinity for the dopamine transport system, as measured by their ability to cause dopamine release, and were similar to MPP+ in inhibiting mitochondrial respiration. One compound (1-methyl-4-phenylpyrimidinium) had high affinity for the dopamine uptake system but was a weak inhibitor of mitochondrial respiration and, accordingly, was not neurotoxic. The 4'-alkylated analogs of MPP+, which were poor substrates for the dopamine uptake system and extremely potent inhibitors of mitochondrial respiration, caused a nonselective damage of neurons in culture. Analogs that were not substrates for the dopamine carrier and not inhibitors of mitochondrial respiration were not neurotoxic. This study describes the neurotoxicity of a number of analogs of MPP+ and highlights the importance of the dopamine uptake system and the ability to inhibit mitochondrial respiration as critical processes in conferring selectivity and neurotoxicity, respectively, to MPP+ and analogs, for dopaminergic neurons in culture.     

Parkin cooperates with GDNF/RET signaling to prevent dopaminergic neuron degeneration

Parkin and the glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) receptor RET have both been independently linked to the dopaminergic neuron degeneration that underlies Parkinson’s disease (PD). In the present study, we demonstrate that there is genetic crosstalk between parkin and the receptor tyrosine kinase RET in two different mouse models of PD. Mice lacking both parkin and RET exhibited accelerated dopaminergic cell and axonal loss compared with parkin-deficient animals, which showed none, and RET-deficient mice, in which we found moderate degeneration. Transgenic expression of parkin protected the dopaminergic systems of aged RET-deficient mice. Downregulation of either parkin or RET in neuronal cells impaired mitochondrial function and morphology. Parkin expression restored mitochondrial function in GDNF/RET-deficient cells, while GDNF stimulation rescued mitochondrial defects in parkin-deficient cells. In both cases, improved mitochondrial function was the result of activation of the prosurvival NF-κB pathway, which was mediated by RET through the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. Taken together, these observations indicate that parkin and the RET signaling cascade converge to control mitochondrial integrity and thereby properly maintain substantia nigra pars compacta dopaminergic neurons and their innervation in the striatum. The demonstration of crosstalk between parkin and RET highlights the interplay in the protein network that is altered in PD and suggests potential therapeutic targets and strategies to treat PD.     

Macrophage-mediated GDNF Delivery Protects Against Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration: A Therapeutic Strategy for Parkinson's Disease

Glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has emerged as the most potent neuroprotective agent tested in experimental models for the treatment of Parkinson''s disease (PD). However, its use is hindered by difficulties in delivery to the brain due to the presence of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). In order to circumvent this problem, we took advantage of the fact that bone marrow stem cell–derived macrophages are able to pass the BBB and home to sites of neuronal degeneration. Here, we report the development of a method for brain delivery of GDNF by genetically modified macrophages. Bone marrow stem cells were transduced ex vivo with lentivirus expressing a GDNF gene driven by a synthetic macrophage-specific promoter and then transplanted into recipient mice. Eight weeks after transplantation, the mice were injected with the neurotoxin, MPTP, for 7 days to induce dopaminergic neurodegeneration. Macrophage-mediated GDNF treatment dramatically ameliorated MPTP-induced degeneration of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons of the substantia nigra and TH⁺ terminals in the striatum, stimulated axon regeneration, and reversed hypoactivity in the open field test. These results indicate that macrophage-mediated GDNF delivery is a promising strategy for developing a neuroprotective therapy for PD.     

HSV-mediated delivery of erythropoietin restores dopaminergic function in MPTP-treated mice.

To investigate the neuroprotective effects of erythropoietin (EPO) in a rodent model of Parkinson disease, we inoculated a nonreplicating herpes simplex virus-based vector expressing EPO (vector DHEPO) into the striatum of mice 1 week prior to, or 2 weeks after, the start of continual administration of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) (4 mg/kg intraperitoneally, 5 of 7 days) for 6 weeks. Inoculation with DHEPO prior to MPTP intoxication preserved behavioral function measured by pellet retrieval and the histological markers of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TH-IR) neuronal cell bodies in the substantia nigra (SN) and TH-IR and dopamine transporter-immunoreactive (DAT-IR) terminals in striatum. Inoculation of DHEPO 2 weeks into a 6-week course of MPTP resulted in improvement of behavioral function and restoration of TH-IR cells in SN and TH- and DAT-IR in the striatum. The effects of vector-produced EPO were similar in magnitude to the effects of vector-mediated expression of glial-derived neurotrophic factor in the same model. These results demonstrate that vector-mediated EPO production may be used to reverse dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the face of continued toxic insult.     

Neuroprotective effects of a novel poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 inhibitor, 2-[3-[4-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-piperazinyl] propyl]-4(3H)-quinazolinone (FR255595), in an in vitro model of cell death and in mouse 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine model of Parkinson's disease

The massive activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) by DNA-damaging stimuli, such as exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS), can lead to cell injury via severe, irreversible depletion of the NAD and ATP pool, and PARP-1 inhibitors have been expected to rescue neurons from degeneration in a number of disease models. We have recently identified 2-[3-[4-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-piperazinyl] propyl]-4(3H)-quinazolinone (FR255595) as a novel and potent PARP-1 inhibitor through structure-based drug design and high-throughput screening. This compound potently inhibited PARP activity with an IC(50) value of 11 nM and was orally active and highly brain penetrable. Here, we show that prevention of PARP activation by FR255595 protects against both ROS-induced cells injury in vitro and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced nigrostriatal dopaminergic damage in an in vivo Parkinson's disease (PD) model. In cell death models in vitro, exposure of hydrogen peroxide induced cell death with PARP overactivation in PC12 cells and SH-SY5Y cells, and pre- and post-treatment with FR255595 (10(-9)-10(-5) M) significantly reduced PARP activation and cell death. In mouse MPTP model, MPTP (20 mg/kg i.p.) intoxication lead to PARP activation and cell damage in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway, which was significantly ameliorated by oral administration of FR255595 (10-32 mg/kg), both in the substantia nigra and in the striatum via marked reduction of PARP activation, even with delayed treatment. These findings clearly indicate that the novel PARP-1 inhibitor FR255595 exerts neuroprotective effect through its potent PARP-1 inhibitory actions in PD model, suggesting that the drug could be an attractive candidate for several neurodegenerative disorders, including PD.     

Infiltration of circulating myeloid cells through CD95L contributes to neurodegeneration in mice

Neuroinflammation is increasingly recognized as a hallmark of neurodegeneration. Activated central nervous system–resident microglia and infiltrating immune cells contribute to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons (DNs). However, how the inflammatory process leads to neuron loss and whether blocking this response would be beneficial to disease progression remains largely unknown. CD95 is a mediator of inflammation that has also been proposed as an apoptosis inducer in DNs, but previous studies using ubiquitous deletion of CD95 or CD95L in mouse models of neurodegeneration have generated conflicting results. Here we examine the role of CD95 in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridin (MPTP)–induced neurodegeneration using tissue-specific deletion of CD95 or CD95L. We show that DN death is not mediated by CD95-induced apoptosis because deletion of CD95 in DNs does not influence MPTP-induced neurodegeneration. In contrast, deletion of CD95L in peripheral myeloid cells significantly protects against MPTP neurotoxicity and preserves striatal dopamine levels. Systemic pharmacological inhibition of CD95L dampens the peripheral innate response, reduces the accumulation of infiltrating myeloid cells, and efficiently prevents MPTP-induced DN death. Altogether, this study emphasizes the role of the peripheral innate immune response in neurodegeneration and identifies CD95 as potential pharmacological target for neurodegenerative disease.Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder. Current medical treatments are only able to provide partial symptomatic relief of the major motor symptoms, namely rigor, tremor, and akinesia. Only in a minority of all PD patients is a familial mutation known to be the cause of the disease, whereas ∼90% of all PD cases are idiopathic. Mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and impaired degradation of proteins have been proposed as possible etiology of idiopathic PD (Dauer and Przedborski, 2003). Accordingly, environmental exposure to neurotoxic pesticides increases the risk of developing PD, and indeed, intoxication with the dopaminergic toxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridin (MPTP) elicits PD in humans, primates, and rodents and represents a well-characterized toxin-based mouse model for PD (Dauer and Przedborski, 2003). In addition, increasing evidence from genome-wide association (Ahmed et al., 2012), epidemiological (Gao et al., 2011), postmortem, and animal model studies indicate that neuroinflammation, including glial activation, release of proinflammatory factors, and T cell infiltration (Brochard et al., 2009) are actively involved in PD progression. Activation of microglia is also observed after MPTP intoxication, thus enabling investigators to study neurodegeneration-related inflammation (Członkowska et al., 1996; Hayley et al., 2004).At the histopathology level, PD is characterized by a slow and progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons (DNs) in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), which exhibit accumulation of misfolded proteins. Apoptotic death of DNs has been observed both in postmortem samples of PD patients and in MPTP-intoxicated mice (Venderova and Park, 2012). The CD95/CD95 ligand (CD95L) system was discovered as a paradigmatic trigger of apoptosis, and thus, expression of these proteins has been characterized in preclinical models of PD and PD patients. Levels of CD95 protein and mRNA are higher in PD patients than in healthy individuals (Mogi et al., 1996; Simunovic et al., 2009). Therefore, this system was hypothesized to induce apoptosis of DNs. To address this issue, MPTP-mediated DN neurodegeneration was studied in mice with a targeted ubiquitous deletion of CD95 (Fas null) and in mice with a global spontaneous mutation in CD95 (lpr) or CD95L (gld). Although CD95-deficient mice (FAS null) exhibit attenuated loss of dopaminergic SNpc neurons as well as attenuated microglial activation in the SNpc in response to MPTP (Hayley et al., 2004), MPTP neurotoxicity is exacerbated in lpr and gld mice (Landau et al., 2005). These opposite outcomes underline the problem of using animal models with a global deletion of CD95 or CD95L for the study of tissue-specific pathologies. A global deficiency of either CD95 or CD95L causes a lymphoproliferative disorder that is present to a variable degree and in an age-dependent manner in each mutant mouse line, which hampers interpretation and comparison of experimental results (Roths et al., 1984; Adachi et al., 1996; Karray et al., 2004; Martin-Villalba et al., 2013).Available tissue-specific mutant mice have greatly advanced our understanding of the role of the CD95/CD95L system in disease. This is best exemplified by studies on the role of CD95 in spinal cord injury. First experiments using mouse mutants ubiquitously deficient in CD95 or CD95L showed that these mice were protected against spinal cord injury, suggesting that triggering of CD95 in neurons induces apoptosis (Demjen et al., 2004). Later experiments showed that neuroprotection was caused by abrogation of neuroinflammation and not by inhibition of direct CD95-mediated neuronal apoptosis (Letellier et al., 2010). CD95 activity is used by macrophages and neutrophils to migrate to the injury site, and inhibition of CD95-mediated inflammatory infiltration decreases neuronal death. This and other studies highlight that the CD95 receptor fulfils diverse functions in different tissues in vivo beyond apoptosis (Martin-Villalba et al., 2013). In the central nervous system (CNS), it is involved in axonal outgrowth and adult neurogenesis, as well as migration of malignant glioblastoma cells (Desbarats et al., 2003; Zuliani et al., 2006; Kleber et al., 2008; Corsini et al., 2009). While in the immune system, it mediates survival, proliferation, and activation of T cells (Peter et al., 2007) and myeloid cell recruitment to inflammatory sites (Letellier et al., 2010).To tease out the actual role of CD95 in PD, we used mutant mice deficient in CD95 in DNs or in peripheral myeloid cells and systemic pharmacological inhibition of CD95’s activity. Here, we report that lack of CD95 in DNs does not render mice resistant to MPTP-induced toxicity. In contrast, exclusive deletion of CD95L in peripheral myeloid cells significantly attenuates loss of DNs in mice intoxicated with MPTP. Neuroprotection was also achieved by pharmacological inhibition of CD95L, which hampered infiltration of the brain by peripheral myeloid cells. Thus, this study underscores the contribution of peripheral inflammation to neurodegeneration in a mouse model of PD and identifies inhibition of CD95 as potential systemic therapy for PD patients.     

Hsp70 gene transfer by adeno-associated virus inhibits MPTP-induced nigrostriatal degeneration in the mouse model of Parkinson disease.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress have been implicated in Parkinson disease (PD). In addition, genetic evidence points to an important role of protein misfolding, aggregation, and failure in the proteasomal degradation of specific neuronal proteins in the pathogenesis of PD. The chaperone heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70) reduces protein misfolding and aggregation and protects cells against a variety of adverse conditions, including oxidative stress. Moreover, Hsp70 exerts antiapoptotic activity by blocking the function of several key proapoptotic factors. Recently, Hsp70 was shown to inhibit alpha-synuclein toxicity in a Drosophila model of inherited PD. Here we tested the potential of Hsp70 (approved gene symbol HSPA1A) for gene therapy in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of idiopathic PD. We show that Hsp70 gene transfer to dopamine neurons by a recombinant adeno-associated virus significantly protects the mouse dopaminergic system against MPTP-induced dopamine neuron loss and the associated decline in striatal dopamine levels and tyrosine hydroxylase-positive fibers. Hsp70 reduced MPTP-induced apoptosis in the substantia nigra, and unilateral protection of the dopaminergic system by Hsp70 was associated with increased amphetamine-induced turning toward the uninjected side. Collectively, these results suggest that increasing chaperone activity may be beneficial for the treatment of idiopathic PD.