Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 101, Issue 27, Pages 10189-10194Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0403661101
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GPR37 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor expressed in mammalian brain, and its insoluble aggregates are found in the brain samples of juvenile Parkinson's disease patients. We have produced a Gpr37 knock-out mouse strain and identified several phenotypic features that are similar to those reported for mutants of genes encoding components of synaptic dopamine vesicles. Our results reveal an unanticipated role of GPR37 in regulating substantia nigra-striatum dopaminergic signaling. Gpr37(-/-) mice are viable, with normal brain development and anatomy, but they exhibit reduced striatal dopamine content, enhanced amphetamine sensitivity, and specific deficits in motor behavior paradigms sensitive to nigrostriatal dysfunction. These functional alterations are not associated with any substantial loss of substantial nigra neurons or degeneration of striatal dopaminergic afferences, the main histological marks of Parkinson's disease. The inactivation of GPR37, in fact, has protective effects on substantial nigra neurons, causing resistance to treatment with the Parkinsonian neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine.
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