| 1. |
- Kirik, Deniz, et al.
(författare)
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Parkinson-like neurodegeneration induced by targeted overexpression of alpha-synuclein in the nigrostriatal system
- 2002
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Ingår i: The Journal of Neuroscience. - 1529-2401. ; 22:7, s. 2780-2791
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors display efficient tropism for transduction of the dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra. Taking advantage of this unique property of recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors, we expressed wildtype and A53T mutated human alpha-synuclein in the nigrostriatal dopamine neurons of adult rats for up to 6 months. Cellular and axonal pathology, including alpha-synuclein-positive cytoplasmic inclusions and swollen, dystrophic neurites similar to those seen in brains from patients with Parkinson's disease, developed progressively over time. These pathological alterations occurred preferentially in the nigral dopamine neurons and were not observed in other nondopaminergic neurons transduced by the same vectors. The degenerative changes were accompanied by a loss of 30-80% of the nigral dopamine neurons, a 40-50% reduction of striatal dopamine, and tyrosine hydroxylase levels that was fully developed by 8 weeks. Significant motor impairment developed in those animals in which dopamine neuron cell loss exceeded a critical threshold of 50-60%. At 6 months, signs of cell body and axonal pathology had subsided, suggesting that the surviving neurons had recovered from the initial insult, despite the fact that alpha-synuclein expression was maintained at a high level. These results show that nigral dopamine neurons are selectively vulnerable to high levels of either wild-type or mutant alpha-synuclein, pointing to a key role for alpha-synuclein in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Targeted overexpression of alpha-synuclein in the nigrostriatal system may provide a new animal model of Parkinson's disease that reproduces some of the cardinal pathological, neurochemical, and behavioral features of the human disease.
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| 2. |
- Burda, P, et al.
(författare)
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Characterization and review of MTHFD1 deficiency: four new patients, cellular delineation and response to folic and folinic acid treatment.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease. - : Wiley. - 0141-8955 .- 1573-2665. ; 38:5, s. 863-872
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the folate cycle MTHFD1, encoded by MTHFD1, is a trifunctional enzyme containing 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase, 5,10-methenyltetrahydrofolate cyclohydrolase and 10-formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase activity. To date, only one patient with MTHFD1 deficiency, presenting with hyperhomocysteinemia, megaloblastic anaemia, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and severe combined immunodeficiency, has been identified (Watkins et al J Med Genet 48:590-2, 2011). We now describe four additional patients from two different families. The second patient presented with hyperhomocysteinemia, megaloblastic anaemia, HUS, microangiopathy and retinopathy; all except the retinopathy resolved after treatment with hydroxocobalamin, betaine and folinic acid. The third patient developed megaloblastic anaemia, infection, autoimmune disease and moderate liver fibrosis but not hyperhomocysteinemia, and was successfully treated with a regime that included and was eventually reduced to folic acid. The other two, elder siblings of the third patient, died at 9weeks of age with megaloblastic anaemia, infection and severe acidosis and had MTFHD1 deficiency diagnosed retrospectively. We identified a missense mutation (c.806C>T, p.Thr296Ile) and a splice site mutation (c.1674G>A) leading to exon skipping in the second patient, while the other three harboured a missense mutation (c.146C>T, p.Ser49Phe) and a premature stop mutation (c.673G>T, p.Glu225*), all of which were novel. Patient fibroblast studies revealed severely reduced methionine formation from [(14)C]-formate, which did not increase in cobalamin supplemented culture medium but was responsive to folic and folinic acid. These additional cases increase the clinical spectrum of this intriguing defect, provide in vitro evidence of disturbed methionine synthesis and substantiate the effectiveness of folic or folinic acid treatment.
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