Dopamine transporter (DAT) and synaptic vesicle amine transporter (VMAT2) gene expression in the substantia nigra of control and Parkinson's disease

• Published in: Brain research. Molecular brain research. Vol. 36; no. 1; pp. 157 - 162
• Main Authors: Harrington, K.A., Augood, S.J., Kingsbury, A.E., Foster, O.J.F., Emson, P.C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.02.1996; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Transport; Carrier Proteins - genetics; Case-Control Studies; Cell Count; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Dopamine; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Dopamine transporter; Female; Gene Expression; Humans; In situ hybridization; Male; Medical sciences; Membrane Glycoproteins - genetics; Membrane Transport Proteins; Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics; Neurology; Neuromelanin; Neuropeptides; Parkinson Disease - metabolism; Parkinson's disease; Reference Values; Substantia Nigra - metabolism; Synaptic vescile amine transporter; Vesicular Biogenic Amine Transport Proteins; Vesicular Monoamine Transport Proteins; Dopamine transporter; Synaptic vescile amine transporter; Parkinson's disease; In situ hybridization; Neuromelanin; Human; Nervous system diseases; Dopamine; Central nervous system; Parkinson disease; Synaptic vesicle; Gene expression; Cerebral disorder; Amine; Locus niger; Central nervous system disease; Degenerative disease; Carrier protein; Brain (vertebrata); Extrapyramidal syndrome
• ISSN: 0169-328X; 1872-6941
• DOI: 10.1016/0169-328X(95)00278-Z

The cellular expression of DAT mRNA and VMAT2 mRNA was investigated in sections of the human post-mortem substantia nigra in control of Parkinson's disease tissue using in situ hybridisation techniques. Short synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides were used to detect these gene transcripts at the cellular level. In the control human nigra, high levels of expression were seen in all sub-divisions of the substantia nigra, especially within medial regions. By contrast, the level of expression of both DAT mRNA and VMAT2 mRNA was markedly reduced in Parkinson's disease; these reduction in hybridisation signal were associated with (i) a marked loss of dopamine-containing cells in the substantia nigra, and (ii) a reduction in both DAT and VMAT2 signal per cell in the remaining pigmented neurones. These disease-related decreases in the cellular abundance of both DAT and VMAT2 gene transcripts in the surviving cells of the parkinsonian nigra may reflect compensatory changes in catecholamine signalling or may be a consequence of neuronal dysfunction.