| First Author | Stefanis L | Year | 2004 |
| Journal | Eur J Neurosci | Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 7 | Pages | 1969-72 |
| PubMed ID | 15380020 | Mgi Jnum | J:101289 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3603712 | Doi | 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2004.03638.x |
| Citation | Stefanis L, et al. (2004) Lack of alpha-synuclein does not alter apoptosis of neonatal catecholaminergic neurons. Eur J Neurosci 20(7):1969-72 |
| abstractText | alpha-Synuclein is an abundant neuronal protein of uncertain function linked to Parkinson's disease. Numerous studies have proposed an antiapoptotic function for alpha-synuclein, based on overexpression experiments in cell lines. To explore whether alpha-synuclein has such a physiological function, we assessed the response of wild type or alpha-synuclein null neonatal mouse sympathetic neurons to nerve growth factor deprivation, a well-characterized stimulus of neuronal apoptosis. There was no difference in the rate of neuronal loss, neuronal apoptosis, or c-jun phosphorylation. Furthermore, the absence of alpha-synuclein did not alter the magnitude of naturally occurring cell death in vivo in substantia nigra pars compacta. Therefore, alpha-synuclein is unlikely to play a significant role in apoptotic signalling in catecholaminergic neurons of the neonatal nervous system. |
