Investigation of the roles of dysbindin-1 and SATB2 in the progression of Parkinson's disease.
Objective: Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that typically results in the loss of dopaminergic neurons, especially in an area of the brain known as the substantia nigra. Here, we investigated the roles of two important neuronal development proteins, dysbindin-1 and SATB2, at different stages of Parkinson's disease.
Materials and methods: Using various concentrations of a neurotoxin, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), we established the mouse models at initial and advanced stages of the Parkinson's disease. The pole and rotarod tests were used to assess behavioral response and motor function, respectively. Histology was used to assess the disease pathology. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to analyze dysbindin-1 and SATB2 expression levels.
Results: Compared with controls, the mice in the initial and advanced stages of Parkinson's disease required 2.3-fold and 3.8-fold longer to reach the floor in the pole test. Similarly, in the rotarod test, mice in the initial (168 ± 3.73 s) and advanced stages (91 ± 5.62 s) of Parkinson's disease were less able to maintain motor stability, compared with control mice (214 ± 4.18 s). The expression levels of dysbindin-1 and SATB2 in substantia nigra tissue from control mice were limited but were substantially increased (2.4-fold and 3.6-fold, respectively) in mice in the initial stage of the Parkinson's disease. However, in the mice in the advanced stage of Parkinson's disease, dysbindin-1 expression was 1.7-fold lower, and the SATB2 expression was 1.8-fold higher, than that in the control mice.
Conclusions: The increased expression levels of dysbindin-1 and SATB2 in the initial stage of Parkinson's disease may be due to their protective roles. However, the reduced expression levels in the advanced stage of Parkinson's disease may contribute to irreversible neuronal degeneration.