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- Title
Critical role of calpain in spinal cord degeneration in Parkinson's disease.
- Authors
Samantaray, Supriti; Knaryan, Varduhi H.; Shields, Donald C.; Banik, Naren L.
- Abstract
While multiple molecular mechanisms contribute to midbrain nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration in Parkinson's disease ( PD), the mechanism of damage in non-dopaminergic sites within the central nervous system, including the spinal cord, is not well-understood. Thus, to understand the comprehensive pathophysiology underlying this devastating disease, postmortem spinal cord tissue samples (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar segments) from patients with PD were analyzed compared to age-matched normal subjects or Alzheimer's disease for selective molecular markers of neurodegeneration and inflammation. Distal axonal degeneration, relative abundance of both sensory and motor neuron death, selective loss of Ch AT+ motoneurons, reactive astrogliosis, microgliosis, increased cycloxygenase-2 (Cox-2) expression, and infiltration of T cells were observed in spinal cord of PD patients compared to normal subjects. Biochemical analyses of spinal cord tissues revealed associated inflammatory and proteolytic events (elevated levels of Cox-2, expression and activity of μ- and m-calpain, degradation of axonal neurofilament protein, and concomitantly low levels of endogenous inhibitor - calpastatin) in spinal cord of PD patients. Thus, pathologically upregulated calpain activity in spinal cords of patients with PD may contribute to inflammatory response-mediated neuronal death, leading to motor dysfunction.
- Subjects
CALPAIN; SPINAL cord diseases; PARKINSON'S disease; MESENCEPHALON; DOPAMINERGIC mechanisms; NEURODEGENERATION
- Publication
Journal of Neurochemistry, 2013, Vol 127, Issue 6, p880
- ISSN
0022-3042
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/jnc.12374