FGF-20 And Survival Of Dopamine Neurons

Sachiko Murase and Ronald D. McKay
Neurotrophins are being explored as potential neuroprotective agents in Parkinson's disease (PD). This week, Murase and McKay explore a possible role for fibroblast growth factor 20 (FGF-20) in the survival of dopaminergic neurons. They were interested because polymorphisms in FGF-20 are associated with an increased risk of PD, and FGF-20 is specifically expressed in the substantia nigra. Using cultures from rat midbrain, they found that FGF-20 protected calbindin-negative dopaminergic neurons, the subset of cells preferentially lost in PD patients, from damage induced by the toxin 6-OHDA. FGF-20 rapidly activated antiapoptotic events in these cells, such as phosphorylation of Bad and downregulation of Bax, which may explain the neuroprotective effect. In addition to promoting survival, FGF-20 increased tyrosine hydroxylase expression, resulting in increased levels of dopamine synthesis and release. The specificity to calbindin-negative neurons appears to be explained by selective expression of the receptor FGFR1c in these cells.

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FGF-20 And Survival Of Dopamine Neurons