Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:1.14.16.2 (tyrosine hydroxylase)
 14,760 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The autoxidation of L-DOPA or dopamine (DA) and the metabolism of DA by monoamine oxidase generate a spectrum of toxic species, namely, hydrogen peroxide, oxy radicals, semiquinones, and quinones. When primary dissociated cultures of rat mesencephalon were incubated with L-DOPA (200 microM) for 48 h, the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons (DA neurons) was reduced to 69.7% of control values, accompanied by a decrease in [3H]DA uptake to 42.3% of control values; the remaining DA neurons exhibited reduced neurite length and overall deterioration. Lack of simultaneous change in the number of neurons stained with neuron-specific enolase indicated that toxicity was relatively specific for DA neurons. At the same time, the level of GSH, a major cellular antioxidant, rose to 125.2% of control values. Thus, exposure of mesencephalic cultures to L-DOPA results in both damaging and antioxidant actions. Ascorbate (200 microM), an antioxidant, prevented the rise in GSH. The effect of ascorbate on GSH points to an oxidative signal to initiate the rise in GSH content. On the other hand, neither inhibition of monoamine oxidase with pargyline nor addition of superoxide dismutase or catalase to the culture medium prevented the rise in GSH level or the loss in [3H]DA uptake. The latter results tend to exclude the products of monoamine oxidase activity or the presence of hydrogen peroxide or superoxide in the medium as responsible agents for the rise in GSH or neuronal toxicity. In cultures treated with L-buthionine sulfoximine (L-BSO), an inhibitor of GSH synthesis, L-DOPA prevented cell death by L-BSO.
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PMID:Toxic and protective effects of L-dopa on mesencephalic cell cultures. 837 99

Decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) levels are an early marker of nigral cell death in Parkinson's disease. Depletion of rat brain GSH by intracerebroventricular administration of buthionine sulphoximine (BSO) potentiates the toxicity of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) to the nigrostriatal pathway. We have investigated whether thioctic acid can replenish brain GSH levels following BSO-induced depletion and/or prevent 6-OHDA induced toxicity. Administration of BSO (2 x 1.6 mg i.c.v.) to rats depleted striatal GSH levels by upto 75%. BSO treatment potentiated 6-OHDA (75 micrograms i.c.v.) toxicity as judged by striatal dopamine content and the number of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive cells in substantia nigra. Repeated treatment with thioctic acid (50 or 100 mg/kg i.p.) over 48h had no effect on the 6-OHDA induced loss of dopamine in striatum or nigral tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells in substantia nigra. Also thioctic acid treatment did not reverse the BSO induced depletion of GSH or prevent the potentiation of 6-OHDA neurotoxicity produced by BSO. Thioctic acid (50 mg or 100 mg/kg i.p.) alone or in combination with BSO did not alter striatal dopamine levels but increased dopamine turnover. Striatal 5-HT content was not altered by thioctic acid but 5-HIAA levels were increased. Under conditions of inhibition of GSH synthesis, thioctic acid does not replenish brain GSH levels or protect against 6-OHDA toxicity. At last in this model of Parkinson's disease, thioctic acid does not appear to have a neuroprotective effect.
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PMID:Thioctic acid does not restore glutathione levels or protect against the potentiation of 6-hydroxydopamine toxicity induced by glutathione depletion in rat brain. 873 43

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by degeneration of dopamine (DA)-containing nigro-striatal neurons. Loss of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of PD. Previously, we showed that the oxidant hydrogen peroxide inhibits vesicular uptake of DA in nigro-striatal neurons. Hydrogen peroxide is scavenged by GSH and, therefore, we investigated a possible link between the process of vesicular storage of DA and GSH metabolism. For this purpose, we used rat pheochromocytoma-derived PC12 cells, a model system applied extensively for studying monoamine storage mechanisms. We show that depletion of endogenous DA stores with reserpine was accompanied in PC12 cells by a long-lasting, significant increase in GSH content the extent of which appeared to be inversely related to the rate of GSH synthesis. A similar increase in GSH content was observed after depletion of DA stores with the tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine. In the presence of alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine, refilling of the DA stores by exogenous DA reduced GSH content back to control level. Lowering of PC12 GSH content, via blockade of its synthesis with buthionine sulfoximine, however, led to a significantly decreased accumulation of exogenous [3H]DA without affecting uptake of the acetylcholine precursor [14C]choline. These data suggest that GSH is involved in the granular storage of DA in PC12 cells and that, considering the molecular characteristics of the granular transport system, it is likely that GSH is used to protect susceptible parts of this system against (possibly DA-induced) oxidative damage.
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PMID:Glutathione is involved in the granular storage of dopamine in rat PC 12 pheochromocytoma cells: implications for the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. 881 86

Although glutathione (GSH) is considered an important antioxidant in the brain, its cellular localization is unclear. In general, neurones are supposed to contain considerably less GSH than astrocytes. We determined biochemically and immunocytochemically the presence of GSH in cultured neurones and astrocytes from the cortex, mesencephalon and striatum. Cortical neurones contained less GSH than astrocytes whereas GSH levels in neurones from the striatum and mesencephalon were comparable to those in astrocytes. Immunocytochemistry showed significant GSH staining in neurones. Fluorescent double staining of GSH and tyrosine hydroxylase revealed that dopaminergic neurones also contained GSH, although apparently at a lower level than other mesencephalic neurones.
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PMID:Presence of glutathione immunoreactivity in cultured neurones and astrocytes. 890 75

Nigral cell death in Parkinson's disease (PD) may involve oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction initiated by a decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in substantia nigra. L-buthionine-(S,R)-sulphoximine (BSO; 4.8 and 9.6 mg/kg/day), an irreversible inhibitor of gamma-glutamyl cysteine synthetase, was chronically infused into the left lateral ventricle of rats over a period of 28 days and markedly reduced GSH concentrations in substantia nigra (approx. 59% and 65% in 4.8 and 9.6 mg/kg/d BSO respectively) and the striatum (approx. 63% and 80% in 4.8 and 9.6 mg/kg/d BSO respectively). However, the number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cells in substantia nigra was not altered by BSO-treatment compared to control animals. Similarly, there was no difference in specific [3H]-mazindol binding in the striatum and nucleus accumbens of BSO-treated rats compared to control rats. In conclusion, depletion of GSH following chronic administration of BSO in the rat brain does not cause damage to the nigrostriatal pathway and suggests that loss of GSH alone is not responsible for nigrostriatal damage in PD. Rather, GSH depletion may enhance the susceptibility of substantia nigra to destruction by endogenous or exogenous toxins.
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PMID:Glutathione depletion in rat brain does not cause nigrostriatal pathway degeneration. 908 94

Glutathione (GSH) and cysteine (CysH) have both been implicated in the biogenesis of the pheomelanin precursor 5-S-cysteinyldopa (5-S-CD). However, recent studies have shown that only CysH is transported across the membrane of isolated melanosomes, and that the positive regulation of CysH in pigment cells leads to an increased production of 5-S-CD. In the present study, the question was examined as to whether melanin precursors and tyrosinase could be coregulated by cellular thiols. To address this issue, the levels of CysH and GSH were varied in normal melanocytes and melanoma cells using buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of GSH biosynthesis. Treatment with 50-100 microM BSO decreased GSH levels to less than 10% of control, and increased CysH levels between two- and five-fold in both cell types. Concomitant with this, an increase in the ratio of 5-S-CD to DOPA and a decrease in the pigment content of the cells were observed. The decrease in cell pigmentation was associated with strong decreases in tyrosine hydroxylase activity and 14C-melanin production. Only melanoma cells showed a modified tyrosinase isozyme pattern on Western immunoblots in response to BSO, while the mRNA expression of tyrosinase and TRP-1 were unchanged in both cell types. These results suggest that the balance between CysH and GSH, which is partly determined by the rate of utilization of CysH for GSH biosynthesis, regulates not only the levels of 5-S-CD and DOPA but also the melanogenic activity of pigment cells. Since DOPA functions as a cofactor in the monophenolase reaction of tyrosinase, it is proposed that the ratio of 5-S-CD to DOPA may be an important factor in the regulation of tyrosinase activity in situ.
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PMID:Co-regulation of melanin precursors and tyrosinase in human pigment cells: roles of cysteine and glutathione. 1064 2

The nitric oxide (NO) donor, S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine (SNAP), induced differentiation of human neuroblastoma NB69 cells to a dopamine phenotype, as shown by phase-contrast microscopy and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunocytochemistry. NB69 cells were treated with 50 to 750 microM SNAP in serum-free-defined medium for 24 h. SNAP treatment did not increase the number of necrotic or apoptotic cells. However, a decrease in the number of viable cells was observed at 750 microM SNAP. In addition, a decrease in (3)H-thymidine uptake was detected at the highest dose of SNAP. An increase in the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL protein levels and a decrease in the proapoptotic Bax and Bcl-xS protein levels were also detected by Western blot analysis after SNAP treatment. At low doses (50-125 microM), SNAP induced an increase in catecholamine levels, (3)H-dopamine uptake, TH activity and monoamine metabolism, while a decrease in all these parameters was observed at high doses (250-750 microM). The TH protein content, analyzed by Western blot, remained unchanged in SNAP-treated cells throughout the range of doses studied, when compared with the control group. SNAP produced a dose-dependent decrease in the glutathione (GSH) content of the culture medium, without altering intracellular GSH. In addition, cGMP levels and nitrite concentration, measured in the supernatant of SNAP-treated cells, increased in a dose-dependent manner, as compared to control levels. The guanylate cyclase inhibitor lH-[1,2, 4]oxadiazolo[4,3a]quinoxaline-l-one (ODQ) did not revert the SNAP-induced effect on (3)H-dopamine uptake to control values. These results suggest that NO, released from SNAP, induces differentiation of NB69 cells and regulates TH protein at the post-transcriptional level through a cGMP-independent mechanism.
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PMID:Nitric oxide induces differentiation in the NB69 human catecholamine-rich cell line. 1096 52

Dopamine (DA) is synthesized in amacrine cells and released upon membrane depolarization in a calcium-dependent way. Thus, it is recognized to function as a major neurotransmitter or modulator in vertebrate retina. Owing to DA modulating activity on cone-horizontal cells transmission, depletion or dysfunction of amacrine cells could interfere with chromatic processing, accounting for the acquired dyschromatopsia described among styrene-exposed workers. The present study has been designed to test the hypothesis that amacrine cells represent a vulnerable target of styrene in subchronically exposed rats. Ten female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 300 ppm styrene 6 h/day, 5 days/week, for 12 weeks; ten rats exposed to fresh air served as a control group. Whole mounted retinas were used for the morphometry of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactive cells (IR). DA content and TH activity were measured by HPLC and electrochemical detection and glutathione (GSH) was measured by HPLC tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In treated rats, morphometric analysis showed a loss of TH-IR amacrine cells (6.2/mm2 vs. 8.7/mm2 recorded in controls, p = 0.002), without any peripheral-central variation in cell loss. DA content was also lower in exposed, as compared to control animals (208.64 vs. 267.98 microg/g w.w., p = 0.004). The activity of TH in the whole retina was similar in styrene-exposed and control rats when expressed as a function of the wet weight, whereas it was much higher in styrene-exposed rats (+64%) when expressed as a function of the number of TH-IR amacrine cells (p < 0.001). Finally, retinal GSH was reduced by 30% in exposed as compared to control rats (p = 0.01). In summary, retinal TH-IR cells were sensitive to styrene exposure, which seems to cause both structural and functional changes, represented by cell loss and DA depletion, respectively. These findings confirm the vulnerability of dopaminergic systems to styrene toxicity, providing some insights on the possible mechanism of loss in chromatic discrimination recorded among workers occupationally-exposed to styrene.
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PMID:Styrene-induced changes in amacrine retinal cells: an experimental study in the rat. 1102 68

There is evidence suggesting that nitric oxide (NO) may play an important role in dopamine (DA) cell death. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of NO on apoptosis and functionality of DA neurones and glial cells. The experiments were carried out in neuronal-enriched midbrain cultures treated with the NO donor diethylamine-nitric oxide complexed sodium (DEA-NO). DEA-NO, at doses of 25 and 50 microM, exerted neurotrophic effects on dopamine cells, increasing the number of tyrosine hydroxylase positive (TH(+)) cells, TH(+) neurite processes, DA levels and [(3)H]DA uptake. A dose of 25 microM DEA-NO protected DA cells from apoptosis. In addition, it induced de novo TH synthesis and increased intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, indicating a possible neuroprotective role for GSH. However, in doses ranging from 200 to 400 microM, DEA-NO decreased TH(+) cells, DA levels, [(3)H]DA uptake and the number of mature oligodendrocytes (O1(+) cells). No changes in either the amount or morphology of astrocytes and glial progenitors were detected. A dose- and time-dependent increase in apoptotic cells in the DEA-NO-treated culture was also observed, with a concomitant increase in the proapoptotic Bax protein levels and a reduction in the ratio between Bcl-xL and Bcl-xS proteins. In addition, DEA-NO induced a dose- and time-dependent increase in necrotic cells. 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4, 3a]quinoxaline-1-one (ODQ, 0.5 microM), a selective guanylate cyclase inhibitor, did not revert the NO-induced effect on [(3)H]DA uptake. Glia-conditioned medium, obtained from fetal midbrain astrocyte cultures, totally protected neuronal-enriched midbrain cultures from NO-induced apoptosis and rescued [(3)H]DA uptake and TH(+) cell number. In conclusion, our results show that low NO concentrations have neurotrophic effects on DA cells via a cGMP-independent mechanism that may implicate up-regulation of GSH. On the other hand, higher levels of NO induce cell death in both dopamine neurones and mature oligodendrocytes that is totally reverted by soluble factors released from glia.
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PMID:Neurotrophic and neurotoxic effects of nitric oxide on fetal midbrain cultures. 1114 78

Clinical studies have demonstrated an excess of transition metals, including zinc and iron, in the substantia nigra (SN) of Parkinson's patients. In the present study, the neurotoxic effect of zinc was investigated using iron as a positive control. Addition of zinc or iron to brain homogenates increased lipid peroxidation. Zinc was less potent than iron in inducing lipid peroxidation. Coincubation with desferrioxamine prevented zinc- and iron-induced lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, glutathione (GSH), S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine, or melatonin inhibited zinc-induced lipid peroxidation. The oxidative effect of zinc was further investigated in anesthetized rats. Seven days after intranigral infusion of zinc, lipid peroxidation was elevated in the infused SN, and dopamine content and tyrosine hydroxylase-positive axons were decreased in the ipsilateral striatum. Zinc was less potent than iron in inducing neurodegeneration in vivo. L-Buthionine-[S,R]-sulfoximine pretreatment (i.c.v.), which depletes cellular GSH levels, enhanced zinc-induced oxidative injuries in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. Moreover, simultaneous infusion of zinc and iron appeared to augment oxidative injuries in rat brain. Taken together, our results demonstrate that intranigral infusion of zinc caused degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system in rat brain. Furthermore, coexistence of zinc and iron augmented oxidative injuries in rat brain. These findings indicate that both zinc and iron contribute to the etiology of Parkinsonism.
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PMID:Coexistence of zinc and iron augmented oxidative injuries in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system of SD rats. 1116 68


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