DJ-1-binding compounds prevent oxidative stress-induced cell death and movement defect in Parkinson's disease model rats

J Neurochem. 2008 Jun 1;105(6):2418-34. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2008.05327.x.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is caused by neuronal cell death. Although a precursor of dopamine and inhibitors of dopamine degradation have been used for PD therapy, cell death progresses during treatment. DJ-1, a causative gene product of a familial form of PD, PARK7, plays roles in transcriptional regulation and anti-oxidative stress, and loss of its function is thought to result in the onset of PD. Superfluous oxidation of cysteine at amino acid 106 (C106) of DJ-1 renders DJ-1 inactive, and such oxidized DJ-1 has been observed in patients with the sporadic form of PD. In this study, we isolated compounds that bind to the region at C106 by a virtual screening. These compounds prevented oxidative stress-induced death of SH-SY5Y cells, embryonic stem cell-derived dopaminergic cells and primary neuronal cells of the ventral mesencephalon, but not that of DJ-1-knockdown cells of SH-SY5Y and NIH3T3 cells, indicating that the effect of the compounds is specific to DJ-1. These compounds inhibited production of reactive oxygen species and restored activities of mitochondrial complex I and tyrosine hydroxylase that had been compromised by oxidative stress. These compounds prevented dopaminergic cell death in the substantia nigra and restored movement abnormality in 6-hydroxyldopamine-injected PD model rats. One mechanism of action of these compounds is prevention of superfluous oxidation of DJ-1, and the compounds passed through the blood-brain barrier in vitro. Taken together, the results indicate that these compounds should become fundamental drugs for PD therapy.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiparkinson Agents / chemistry
  • Antiparkinson Agents / metabolism*
  • Antiparkinson Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Cell Death / drug effects
  • Cell Death / physiology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Disease Models, Animal*
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / metabolism*
  • Movement Disorders / drug therapy*
  • Movement Disorders / metabolism
  • Movement Disorders / physiopathology
  • NIH 3T3 Cells
  • Oxidative Stress / drug effects
  • Oxidative Stress / physiology*
  • Parkinson Disease / drug therapy*
  • Parkinson Disease / metabolism
  • Parkinson Disease / physiopathology
  • Protein Binding / drug effects
  • Protein Binding / physiology
  • Protein Deglycase DJ-1
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Rats

Substances

  • Antiparkinson Agents
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins
  • PARK7 protein, rat
  • Protein Deglycase DJ-1