Parkinson Disease: Zhou C

Zhou C, Huang Y, Przedborski S. · Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. · Ann N Y Acad Sci. · Pubmed #19076434 No free full text.

Abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder. Typically PD is a sporadic neurological disorder, and over time affected patients see their disability growing and their quality of life declining. Oxidative stress has been hypothesized to be linked to both the initiation and the progression of PD. Preclinical findings from both in vitro and in vivo experimental models of PD suggest that the neurodegenerative process starts with otherwise healthy neurons being hit by some etiological factors, which sets into motion a cascade of deleterious events. In these models initial molecular alterations in degenerating dopaminergic neurons include increased formation of reactive oxygen species, presumably originating from both inside and outside the mitochondria. In the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of PD, time-course experiments suggest that oxidative stress is an early event that may directly kill some of the dopaminergic neurons. In this model it seems that oxidative stress may play a greater role in the demise of dopaminergic neurons indirectly by activating intracellular, cell death-related, molecular pathways. As the neurodegenerative process evolves in the MPTP mouse model, indices of neuroinflammation develop, such as microglial activation. The latter increases the level of oxidative stress to which the neighboring compromised neurons are subjected to, thereby promoting their demise. However, these experimental studies have also shown that oxidative stress is not the sole deleterious factor implicated in the death of dopaminergic neurons. Should a similar multifactorial cascade underlie dopaminergic neuron degeneration in PD, then the optimal therapy for this disease may have to rely on a cocktail of agents, each targeting a different critical component of this hypothesized pathogenic cascade. If correct, this may be a reason why neuroprotective trials using a single agent, such as an antioxidant, have thus far generated disappointing results.

Li Y, Liu W, Oo TF, Wang L, Tang Y, Jackson-Lewis V, Zhou C, Geghman K, Bogdanov M, Przedborski S, Beal MF, Burke RE, Li C. · Department of Neurology and Neurosciences, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA. · Nat Neurosci. · Pubmed #19503083 No free full text.

Abstract: Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are the most common genetic cause of Parkinson's disease. We created a LRRK2 transgenic mouse model that recapitulates cardinal features of the disease: an age-dependent and levodopa-responsive slowness of movement associated with diminished dopamine release and axonal pathology of nigrostriatal dopaminergic projection. These mice provide a valid model of Parkinson's disease and are a resource for the investigation of pathogenesis and therapeutics.

Bové J, Zhou C, Jackson-Lewis V, Taylor J, Chu Y, Rideout HJ, Wu DC, Kordower JH, Petrucelli L, Przedborski S. · Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. · Ann Neurol. · Pubmed #16862585 No free full text.

Abstract: Impaired proteasome function is a potential mechanism for dopaminergic neuron degeneration. To model this molecular defect, we administered systemically the reversible lipophilic proteasome inhibitor, carbobenzoxy-L-isoleucyl-gamma-t-butyl-L-glutamyl-L-alanyl-L-leucinal (PSI), to rodents. In contrast to a previous report, this approach failed to cause any detectable behavioral or neuropathological abnormality in either rats or mice. Although theoretically appealing, this specific model of Parkinson's disease appears to exhibit poor reproducibility.

Zhou C, Wen ZX, Wang ZP, Guo X, Shi DM, Zuo HC, Xie ZP. · Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Tsinghua University, State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane, 100084, Beijing, China. · Cell Biol Int. · Pubmed #14585289 No free full text.

Abstract: Neural stem cells, which are clonogenic cells with multilineage differentiation properties from regions of the fetal brain, cortex and hippocampus, are currently considered as powerful candidates for cell replacement therapy in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. A key issue is whether stem cells can survive, migrate and differentiate following transplantation into the adult CNS. Here, enhanced green fluorescent protein plasmid electroporation-transfected neural stem cells from the fetal cortex were grafted into the striatum of a rat model of Parkinson's disease. We found most of the grafted cells could survive in the adult parkinsonian rat brain and migrated towards damaged areas, while they moved randomly in the normal brain. Several grafted cells differentiated into neurons.