ISSN:
1471-4159
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
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 μMMPP+ 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.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.1991.tb03782.x
