Abstract
The morphological evidence for apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains a conflicting issue. The present study examined autopsy material containing substantia nigra and putamen of PD (n=7) and control subjects (n=5) for the expression of prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) protein, a protein expressed by apoptotic cells. Par-4 was not detected in the substantia nigra pars compacta. By contrast, duodenal enterocytes, which served as positive controls and are known to be apoptotic, profoundly expressed Par-4. The present study is in agreement with previous studies of the substantia nigra pars compacta in PD, which failed to detect molecules expressed by apoptotic cells. The absence of Par-4 immunoreactivity suggests that death of dopaminergic neurons in PD follows a degenerative pathway that circumvents the induction of Par-4.
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Acknowledgements
Dr. M.P. Mattson is thanked for providing the anti-Par-4 antibody. The excellent technical assistance of Susan Peters and Grazyna Hahn is greatly appreciated. This work was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council, the PA Messerschmidt and Hustrus Fund, and the Mette and Mogens Mogensens Fund (T.M.).
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Moos, T., Jensen, P.H. Absence of prostate apoptosis response-4 protein in substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease autopsies. Acta Neuropathol 107, 23–26 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-003-0769-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-003-0769-z