scholarly journals Covalent Modification and Regulation of the Nuclear Receptor Nurr1 by a Dopamine Metabolite

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Bruning ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Francesca Oltrabella ◽  
Boxue Tian ◽  
Svetlana A. Kholodar ◽  
...  

SUMMARYNurr1, a nuclear receptor essential for the development, maintenance, and survival of midbrain dopaminergic neurons, is a potential therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disorder characterized by the degeneration of these same neurons. Efforts to identify Nurr1 agonists have been hampered by the recognition that it lacks several classic regulatory elements of nuclear receptor function, including the canonical ligand-binding pocket. Here we report that the dopamine metabolite 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) binds directly to and modulates the activity of Nurr1. Using biophysical assays and x-ray crystallography we show that DHI binds to the ligand binding domain within a non-canonical pocket, forming a covalent adduct with Cys566. In cultured cells and zebrafish, DHI stimulates Nurr1 activity, including the transcription of target genes underlying dopamine homeostasis. These findings suggest avenues for developing synthetic Nurr1 ligands to ameliorate the symptoms and progression of Parkinson’s disease.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pusheng Quan ◽  
Kai Wang ◽  
Shi Yan ◽  
Shirong Wen ◽  
Chengqun Wei ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study aimed to identify potential novel drug candidates and targets for Parkinson’s disease. First, 970 genes that have been reported to be related to PD were collected from five databases, and functional enrichment analysis of these genes was conducted to investigate their potential mechanisms. Then, we collected drugs and related targets from DrugBank, narrowed the list by proximity scores and Inverted Gene Set Enrichment analysis of drug targets, and identified potential drug candidates for PD treatment. Finally, we compared the expression distribution of the candidate drug-target genes between the PD group and the control group in the public dataset with the largest sample size (GSE99039) in Gene Expression Omnibus. Ten drugs with an FDR < 0.1 and their corresponding targets were identified. Some target genes of the ten drugs significantly overlapped with PD-related genes or already known therapeutic targets for PD. Nine differentially expressed drug-target genes with p < 0.05 were screened. This work will facilitate further research into the possible efficacy of new drugs for PD and will provide valuable clues for drug design.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigeto Sato ◽  
Nobutaka Hattori

The cellular abnormalities in Parkinson's disease (PD) include mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage, which are probably induced by both genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Mitochondrial dysfunction has long been implicated in the pathogenesis of PD. The recent discovery of genes associated with the etiology of familial PD has emphasized the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in PD. The discovery and increasing knowledge of the function of PINK1 and parkin, which are associated with the mitochondria, have also enhanced the understanding of cellular functions. The PINK1-parkin pathway is associated with quality control of the mitochondria, as determined in cultured cells treated with the mitochondrial uncoupler carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), which causes mitochondrial depolarization. To date, the use of mitochondrial toxins, for example, 1-methyl-4-phynyl-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and CCCP, has contributed to our understanding of PD. We review how these toxins and familial PD gene products are associated with and have enhanced our understanding of the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in PD.


Author(s):  
Zhao-Feng Li ◽  
Lei Cui ◽  
Mi-Mi Jin ◽  
Dong-Yan Hu ◽  
Xiao-Gang Hou ◽  
...  

Parkinson's disease (PD) is featured with α-synuclein-based Lewy body pathology, which however was difficult to observe in conventional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture and even in animal models. We herein aimed to develop a three-dimensional (3D) cellular model of PD to recapitulate the α-synuclein pathologies. All-trans-retinoic acid-differentiated human SH-SY5Y cells and Matrigel were optimized for 3D construction. The 3D cultured cells displayed higher tyrosine hydroxylase expression and improved dopaminergic-like phenotypes than 2D cells as suggested by RNA-sequencing analyses. Multiple forms of α-synuclein, including monomer, low and high molecular weight oligomers, were differentially present in the 2D and 3D cells, but mostly remained unchanged upon the MPP+ or rotenone treatment. Phosphorylated α-synuclein was accumulated and detergent-insoluble α-synuclein fraction was observed in the neurotoxin-treated 3D cells. Importantly, Lewy body-like inclusions were captured in the 3D system, including proteinase K-resistant α-synuclein aggregates, ubiquitin aggregation, β-amyloid and β-sheet protein deposition. The study provides a unique and convenient 3D model of PD which recapitulates critical α-synuclein pathologies and should be useful in multiple PD-associated applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyan Jiang ◽  
Jing Chen ◽  
Yunchuang Sun ◽  
Fan Li ◽  
Luhua Wei ◽  
...  

Objective: This study aims to identify differentially expressed salivary miRNAs and validate the diagnostic potential for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Also, the disease specificity of candidate miRNAs was evaluated between PD, multiple system atrophy (MSA), and essential tremor (ET).Methods: We collected salivary samples from 50 PD, 20 ET, and 20 MSA patients, as well as 30 healthy controls (HCs). In the discovery phase, salivary miRNA microarray analysis was performed. In-silico analysis was used to investigate the target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs and clustered pathways. In validation phase, RT-qPCR was performed with samples from 30 PD patients and 30 HCs. Subsequently, we investigated candidate miRNAs in all recruited subjects. Receiver operating characteristic curve and Spearman correlation analysis was performed to determine diagnostic usefulness.Results: We identified 43 miRNAs that were differentially expressed between 5 PD patients and 5 HCs by miRNA microarray analysis. Computational analysis revealed the target genes were clustered in the pathways associated with ubiquitin protein ligase activity. The result of RT-qPCR showed that the miR-29a-3p and miR-29c-3p were found to be significantly downregulated (p = 0.004, p = 0.027), whereas the miR-6756-5p was significantly upregulated in 30 PD patients compared with 30 HCs (p = 0.032). The miR-29a-3p expression level in PD patients was significantly lower than ET patients (p = 0.035), but higher than MSA patients (p &lt; 0.0001). The diagnostic efficacy reached a little higher when the combination of miR-29a-3p and miR-29c-3p.Conclusion: The miRNA combination of salivary miR-29a-3p and miR-29c-3p has potential to be a diagnostic biomarker for idiopathic PD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrnaz Mehrabani ◽  
Mohammad Hadi Nematollahi ◽  
Mojde Esmaeili Tarzi ◽  
Kobra Bahrampour Juybari ◽  
Moslem Abolhassani ◽  
...  

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease accompanied by a low expression level of cerebral hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α). Hence, activating the hypoxia-signaling pathway may be a favorable therapeutic approach for curing PD. This study explored the efficacy of hydralazine, a well-known antihypertensive agent, for restoring the impaired HIF-1 signaling in PD, with the aid of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-exposed SH-SY5Y cells. The cytotoxicity of hydralazine and 6-OHDA on the SH-SY5Y cells were evaluated by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] and apoptosis detection assays. The activities of malondialdehyde, nitric oxide (NO), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were also measured. Expression levels of HIF-1α and its downstream genes at the protein level were assessed by Western blotting. Hydralazine showed no toxic effects on SH-SY5Y cells, at the concentration of ≤50 μmol/L. Hydralazine decreased the levels of apoptosis, malondialdehyde, and NO, and increased the activities of FRAP and SOD in cells exposed to 6-OHDA. Furthermore, hydralazine up-regulated the protein expression levels of HIF-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor, tyrosine hydroxylase, and dopamine transporter in the cells also exposed to 6-OHDA, by comparison with the cells exposed to 6-OHDA alone. In summary, hydralazine priming could attenuate the deleterious effects of 6-OHDA on SH-SY5Y cells by increasing cellular antioxidant capacity, as well as the protein levels of HIF-1α and its downstream target genes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoting Liu ◽  
Jinhu Chen ◽  
Tianyuan Guan ◽  
Hui Yao ◽  
Wenpei Zhang ◽  
...  

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