Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive, autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder that is pathologically characterized by a striatal-specific degeneration. Aberrant dopamine neurotransmission has been proposed as a mechanism underlying the movement disorder of HD. We report that the enzymatic activity of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme for dopamine biosynthesis, is decreased in a transgenic mouse model of HD. In addition, mutant huntingtin was found to disrupt transcription of TH and dopamine β-hydroxylase (DβH) promoter reporter constructs. In situ hybridization revealed extensive loss of TH mRNA and decreased dopaminergic cell size in human HD substantia nigra. TH-immunoreactive protein was reduced in human grade 4 HD substantia nigra by 32% compared to age-matched controls. These findings implicate abnormalities in dopamine neurotransmission in HD and may provide new insights into targets for pharmacotherapy.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 28-36 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Molecular Brain Research |
| Volume | 119 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 6 2003 |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Molecular Biology
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
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