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PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
2009-11-25
pubmed:abstractText
Midbrain dopamine (mDA) neurons play critical roles in the regulation of voluntary movement and their dysfunction is associated with Parkinson's disease. Pitx3 has been implicated in the proper development of mDA neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, which are selectively lost in Parkinson's disease. However, the basic mechanisms underlying its role in mDA neuron development and/or survival are poorly understood. Toward this goal, we sought to identify downstream target genes of Pitx3 by comparing gene expression profiles in mDA neurons of wild-type and Pitx3-deficient aphakia mice. This global gene expression analysis revealed many potential target genes of Pitx3; in particular, the expression of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 and dopamine transporter, responsible for dopamine storage and reuptake, respectively, is greatly reduced in mDA neurons by Pitx3 ablation. In addition, gain-of-function analyses and chromatin immunoprecipitation strongly indicate that Pitx3 may directly activate transcription of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 and dopamine transporter genes, critically contributing to neurotransmission and/or survival of mDA neurons. As the two genes have been known to be regulated by Nurr1, another key dopaminergic transcription factor, we propose that Pitx3 and Nurr1 may coordinately regulate mDA specification and survival, at least in part, through a merging and overlapping downstream pathway.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Dec
pubmed:issn
1471-4159
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
111
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1202-12
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Cell Line, Transformed, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Chromatin Immunoprecipitation, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Dopamine, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Embryo, Mammalian, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Gene Expression Profiling, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Homeodomain Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Leukemia Inhibitory Factor, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Mesencephalon, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Mice, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Mice, Knockout, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Microdissection, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Neurons, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Transcription Factors, pubmed-meshheading:19780901-Vesicular Monoamine Transport Proteins
pubmed:year
2009
pubmed:articleTitle
Vesicular monoamine transporter 2 and dopamine transporter are molecular targets of Pitx3 in the ventral midbrain dopamine neurons.
pubmed:affiliation
Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't