Progressive Motor and Non-Motor Symptoms in <em>Park7</em> Knockout Zebrafish
DJ-1 is a redox sensitive protein with a wide range of functions related to oxidative stress protection. Mutations in the <i>park7</i> gene, which codes for DJ-1 are associated with early onset familial Parkinson’s disease and increased astrocytic DJ-1 levels are found in pathologic tiss...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/7/6456 |
| Summary: | DJ-1 is a redox sensitive protein with a wide range of functions related to oxidative stress protection. Mutations in the <i>park7</i> gene, which codes for DJ-1 are associated with early onset familial Parkinson’s disease and increased astrocytic DJ-1 levels are found in pathologic tissues from idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. We have previously established a DJ-1 knockout zebrafish line that developed normally, but with aging the DJ-1 null fish had a lowered level of tyrosine hydroxylase, respiratory mitochondrial failure and a lower body mass. Here we have examined the DJ-1 knockout from the early adult stage and show that loss of DJ-1 results in a progressive, age-dependent increase in both motoric and non-motoric symptoms associated to Parkinson’s disease. These changes coincide with changes in mitochondrial and mitochondrial associated proteins. Recent studies have suggested that a decline in NAD+ can contribute to Parkinson’s disease and that supplementation of NAD+ precursors may delay disease progression. We found that the brain NAD+/NADH ratio decreased in aging zebrafish but did not correlate with DJ-1 induced altered behavior. Differences were first observed at the late adult stage in which NAD+ and NADPH levels were decreased in DJ-1 knockouts. Considering the experimental power of zebrafish and the development of Parkinson’s disease-related symptoms in the DJ-1 null fish, this model can serve as a useful tool both to understand the progression of the disease and the effect of suggested treatments. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |