Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5529
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-7-20
pubmed:abstractText
Huntingtin is a 350-kilodalton protein of unknown function that is mutated in Huntington's disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disorder. The mutant protein is presumed to acquire a toxic gain of function that is detrimental to striatal neurons in the brain. However, loss of a beneficial activity of wild-type huntingtin may also cause the death of striatal neurons. Here we demonstrate that wild-type huntingtin up-regulates transcription of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a pro-survival factor produced by cortical neurons that is necessary for survival of striatal neurons in the brain. We show that this beneficial activity of huntingtin is lost when the protein becomes mutated, resulting in decreased production of cortical BDNF. This leads to insufficient neurotrophic support for striatal neurons, which then die. Restoring wild-type huntingtin activity and increasing BDNF production may be therapeutic approaches for treating HD.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jul
pubmed:issn
0036-8075
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
20
pubmed:volume
293
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
493-8
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:11408619-3T3 Cells, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Apoptosis, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Cell Survival, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Cells, Cultured, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Cerebral Cortex, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Corpus Striatum, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Exons, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Hippocampus, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Huntington Disease, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Mice, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Mice, Transgenic, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Mutation, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Nerve Degeneration, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Nerve Growth Factors, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Nerve Tissue Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Neurons, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Nuclear Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Promoter Regions, Genetic, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Transcription, Genetic, pubmed-meshheading:11408619-Transfection
pubmed:year
2001
pubmed:articleTitle
Loss of huntingtin-mediated BDNF gene transcription in Huntington's disease.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't