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The Polg Mutator Phenotype Does Not Cause Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration in DJ-1-Deficient Mice.

ABSTRACT: Mutations in the DJ-1 gene cause autosomal recessive parkinsonism in humans. Several mouse models of DJ-1 deficiency have been developed, but they do not have dopaminergic neuron cell death in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage occurs frequently in the aged human SNpc but not in the mouse SNpc. We hypothesized that the reason DJ-1-deficient mice do not have dopaminergic cell death is due to an absence of mtDNA damage. We tested this hypothesis by crossing DJ-1-deficient mice with mice that have similar amounts of mtDNA damage in their SNpc as aged humans (Polg mutator mice). At 1 year of age, we counted the amount of SNpc dopaminergic neurons in the mouse brains using both colorimetric and fluorescent staining followed by unbiased stereology. No evidence of dopaminergic cell death was observed in DJ-1-deficient mice with the Polg mutator mutation. Furthermore, we did not observe any difference in dopaminergic terminal immunostaining in the striatum of these mice. Finally, we did not observe any changes in the amount of GFAP-positive astrocytes in the SNpc of these mice, indicative of a lack of astrogliosis. Altogether, our findings demonstrate the DJ-1-deficient mice, Polg mutator mice, and DJ-1-deficient Polg mutator mice have intact nigrastriatal pathways. Thus, the lack of mtDNA damage in the mouse SNpc does not underlie the absence of dopaminergic cell death in DJ-1-deficient mice.

SUBMITTER: Hauser DN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4586922 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are hypothesized to play a pathogenic role in aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). In support of this, high levels of somatic mtDNA mutations in “POLG mutator” mice carrying a proofreading-deficient form of mtDNA polymerase ã (Polg(D257A)) lead to a premature aging phenotype. However, the relevance of this finding to the normal aging process has been questioned as the number of mutations is greater even in young POLG mutator mice, which shows no overt phenotype, than levels achieved during normal aging in mice. Vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) increases with age, and we hypothesized that this may result in part from the accumulation with age of somatic mtDNA mutations. If correct, then levels of mutations in young (2–3 month old) POLG mutator mice should be sufficient to increase vulnerability to MPTP. In contrast, we find that susceptibility to MPTP in both heterozygous and homozygous POLG mutator mice at this young age is not different from that of wild type littermate controls as measured by levels of tyrosine hydroxylase positive (TH+) striatal terminals, striatal dopamine and its metabolites, a marker of oxidative damage, or stereological counts of TH+ and total substantia nigra neurons. These unexpected results do not support the hypothesis that somatic mtDNA mutations contribute to the age-related vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons to MPTP. It remains possible that somatic mtDNA mutations influence vulnerability to other stressors, or require additional time for the deleterious consequences to manifest. Furthermore, the impact of the higher levels of mutations present at older ages in these mice was not assessed in our study, although a prior study also failed to detect an increase in vulnerability to MPTP in older mice. With these caveats, the current data do not provide evidence for a role of somatic mtDNA mutations in determining the vulnerability to MPTP.

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The Polg Mutator Phenotype Does Not Cause Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration in DJ-1-Deficient Mice.

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