Tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter expression following 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced neurodegeneration of the mouse nigrostriatal pathway.

Administration of the neurotoxicant 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to C57BL/6 mice targets nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons, leading to cell death and the depletion of striatal dopamine. After MPTP lesioning in young adult mice, surviving nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons display robust and reproducible return of striatal dopamine weeks to months after injury. Thus, the mouse provides an excellent model with which to investigate the mechanisms underlying neuroplasticity of the nigrostriatal system following neurotoxic injury.

Human neural stem cell transplantation in the MPTP-lesioned mouse.

Human neural stem cells have exhibited a remarkable versatility to respond to environmental signals. Their characterization in models of neurotoxic injury may provide insight into human disease treatment paradigms. This study investigates the survival and migration of transplanted human stem cells and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the parkinsonian 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-lesioned mouse model, using antisera recognizing human nuclear protein (hNuc) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH).