The expression of PARP, NF-κB and parvalbumin is increased... : NeuroReport (original) (raw)

CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROPATHOLOGY

The expression of PARP, NF-κB and parvalbumin is increased in Parkinson disease

Soós, Judit; Engelhardt, József I.CA; Siklós, László1; Havas, László2; Majtényi, Katalin2

Department of Neurology, University of Szeged, P.O. Box 427

1Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged

2Laboratory of Neuropathology, National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Budapest, Hungary

CACorresponding Author: [email protected]

Received 24 May 2004; accepted 7 June 2004

Abstract

Immunohistochemical techniques revealed a significant increase of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-containing nuclei in the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) in Parkinson disease and in diffuse Lewy body disease as compared with a group of patients with other neurodegenerative diseases and normal controls. The nuclear translocation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) was also noted in the same cells. The over-activation of PARP and the transcriptional activation of NF-κB can contribute to the pathomechanism of the disease specific lesion of the neurons in the SN. However, in another subgroup of dopaminergic cells of the SN an increased parvalbumin content was detected reflecting a natural protective mechanism against the putative increase of intracellular calcium caused by excitotoxic injury and oxidative stress.