Decreased Mcl-1 protein level in the striatum of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated mice.

Decreased Mcl-1 protein level in the striatum of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated mice. Brain Res. 2017 Nov 17;: Authors: Lu E, Sarkar S, Raymick J, Paule MG, Gu Q Abstract 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) is a well-known neurotoxicant that can selectively destroy dopaminergic neurons and MPTP-treated animals are often used as models for studying aspects of Parkinson's disease (PD). While apoptosis has been suggested as a possible mechanism underlying MPTP-induced cell death and several apoptosis-associated proteins have been implicated in MPTP-animal models, relevant information regarding the possible involvement of Mcl-1 (myeloid cell leukemia 1) protein is missing. Mcl-l is an important member of the Bcl-2 family that is thought to be a highly regulated controller of cell death and survival. However, the expression level of Mcl-1 in response to MPTP-treatment has not been examined in any area of the brain previously. In the present study, an acute MPTP treatment regimen was utilized with male C57BL/6 mice (10 mg/kg i.p. injections, 4 times with 2 hour intervals) and several protein markers were examined 24-hours after the initial injection. Dramatic decreases in the immunoreactivities of tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporters were observed. Western-blot analysis and immunocytochemical labeling demonstrated an MPTP-induced decrease in Mcl-1 protein levels in the striatum. In add...
Source: Brain Research - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Brain Res Source Type: research