Genes associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) have suggested a role for ubiquitin-proteasome dysfunction and aberrant protein degradation in this disorder. Inasmuch as oxidative stress has also been implicated in PD, the present study examined transcriptional changes mediated by the Parkinsonism-inducing neurotoxins 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP ؉ ) in a dopaminergic cell line. Microarray analysis of RNA isolated from toxin treated samples revealed that the stress-induced transcription factor CHOP/Gadd153 was dramatically up-regulated by both 6-OHDA and MPP ؉ . Treatment with 6-OHDA also induced a large number of genes involved in endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response (UPR) such as ER chaperones and elements of the ubiquitinproteasome system. Reverse transcription-PCR, Western blotting, and immunocytochemical approaches were used to quantify and temporally order the UPR pathways involved in neurotoxin-induced cell death. 6-OHDA, but not MPP ؉ , significantly increased hallmarks of UPR such as BiP, c-Jun, and processed Xbp1 mRNA. Both toxins increased the phosphorylation of UPR proteins, PERK and eIF2␣, but only 6-OHDA increased phosphorylation of c-Jun. Thus, 6-OHDA is capable of triggering multiple pathways associated with UPR, whereas MPP ؉ exhibits a more restricted response. The involvement of UPR in these widely used neurotoxin models supports the role of ubiquitin-proteasome pathway dysfunction in PD.

Oxidative stress is a key player in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease. Widely used as a parkinsonian mimetic, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as coordinated changes in gene transcription associated with the unfolded protein response (UPR) and apoptosis. Whether 6-OHDA-induced UPR activation is dependent on ROS has not yet been determined. The present study used molecular indicators of oxidative stress to place 6-OHDA-generated ROS upstream of the appearance of UPR markers such as activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) and phosphorylated stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK/JNK) signaling molecules. Antioxidants completely blocked 6-OHDA-mediated UPR activation and rescued cells from toxicity. Moreover, cytochrome c release from mitochondria was observed after the appearance of early UPR markers, suggesting that cellular stress pathways are responsible for its release. Mechanistically, the 6-OHDA-induced UPR was independent of intracellular calcium changes. Rather, evidence of protein oxidation was observed before the expression of UPR markers, suggesting that the rapid accumulation of damaged proteins triggered cell stress/UPR. Taken together, 6-OHDAmediated cell death in dopaminergic cells proceeds via ROSdependent UPR up-regulation which leads to an interaction with the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway and downstream caspase activation.

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Biologists have long searched for reaction networks that can spontaneously generate spatial patterns in the presence of diffusion. The studies so far closely follow Alan Turing's "activator-inhibitor" model, where diffusion destabilizes a spatially homogeneous steady state. In this paper, we propose a new type of Turing system based on an oscillator that destabilizes a spatially homogeneous steady state towards a spatio-temporal pattern. We develop a model based on current experimentally-viable systems and study its benefits and limitations.