| First Author | Blum M | Year | 1998 |
| Journal | Nat Neurosci | Volume | 1 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | 374-7 |
| PubMed ID | 10196526 | Mgi Jnum | J:49629 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1277770 | Doi | 10.1038/1584 |
| Citation | Blum M (1998) A null mutation in TGF-alpha leads to a reduction in midbrain dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Nat Neurosci 1(5):374-7 |
| abstractText | Transforming growth factor (TGF)-alpha is neurotrophic for midbrain dopaminergic neurons in vitro. Here I investigated whether a null mutation in the TGF-alpha gene affects the normal development or survival of dopaminergic neurons in either the substantial nigra (SN) or the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The SN of TGF-alpha knockout mice contained 58% fewer dopaminergic neurons than the control SN, but VTA neuron number was unchanged. In addition, the overall volume of the dorsal striatum was reduced by 20%. Newborn mice showed a similar decrease in the number of SN dopaminergic neurons, suggesting that TCF- alpha is unlikely to regulate developmental neuron death. These studies indicate that TGF-alpha is required for the normal proliferation or differentiation of a select population of dopaminergic neurons within the SN. |
