start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=13 cd-vols= no-issue=1 article-no= start-page=234 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2025 dt-pub=20251114 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Rotenone targets midbrain astrocytes to produce glial dysfunction-mediated dopaminergic neurodegeneration en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Exposure to pesticides, such as rotenone or paraquat, is an environmental factor that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Rotenone induces PD-like pathology and is therefore used to develop parkinsonian animal models. Dopaminergic neurotoxicity caused by rotenone has been attributed to the inhibition of mitochondrial complex I, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation; however, the mechanisms underlying selective dopaminergic neurodegeneration by rotenone remain unclear. To resolve this, we focused on glial diversity and examined whether the brain region-specific glial response to rotenone could determine the vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons using primary cultured neurons, astrocytes and microglia from the midbrain and striatum of rat embryos and rotenone-injected PD model mice. Direct neuronal treatment with low-dose rotenone failed to damage dopaminergic neurons. Conversely, rotenone exposure in the presence of midbrain astrocyte and microglia or conditioned media from rotenone-treated midbrain glial cultures containing astrocytes and microglia produced dopaminergic neurotoxicity, but striatal glia did not. Surprisingly, conditioned media from rotenone-treated midbrain astrocytes or microglia monocultures did not affect neuronal survival. We also demonstrated that rotenone targeted midbrain astrocytes prior to microglia to induce dopaminergic neurotoxicity. Rotenone-treated astrocytes produced secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) extracellularly, which induced microglial proliferation, increase in IL-1ƒΐ and TNF-ƒΏ, and NF-ƒΘB (p65) nuclear translocation in microglia, resulting in dopaminergic neurodegeneration. In addition, rotenone exposure caused the secretion of NFAT-related inflammatory cytokines and a reduction in the level of an antioxidant metallothionein (MT)-1 from midbrain glia. Furthermore, we observed microglial proliferation and a decrease in the number of MT-positive astrocytes in the substantia nigra, but not the striatum, of low-dose rotenone-injected PD model mice. Our data highlight that rotenone targets midbrain astrocytes, leading to SPARC secretion, which promotes the neurotoxic conversion of microglia and leads to glial dysfunction-mediated dopaminergic neurodegeneration. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MiyazakiIkuko en-aut-sei=Miyazaki en-aut-mei=Ikuko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=IsookaNami en-aut-sei=Isooka en-aut-mei=Nami kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=KikuokaRyo en-aut-sei=Kikuoka en-aut-mei=Ryo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=ImafukuFuminori en-aut-sei=Imafuku en-aut-mei=Fuminori kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=MasaiKaori en-aut-sei=Masai en-aut-mei=Kaori kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=TomimotoKana en-aut-sei=Tomimoto en-aut-mei=Kana kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=SakaguchiMasakiyo en-aut-sei=Sakaguchi en-aut-mei=Masakiyo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=SogawaChiharu en-aut-sei=Sogawa en-aut-mei=Chiharu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=SogawaNorio en-aut-sei=Sogawa en-aut-mei=Norio kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=KitamuraYoshihisa en-aut-sei=Kitamura en-aut-mei=Yoshihisa kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=AsanumaMasato en-aut-sei=Asanuma en-aut-mei=Masato kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Medical Neurobiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of Medical Neurobiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Medical Neurobiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Medical Neurobiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Medical Neurobiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Medical Neurobiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Cell Biology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of Food and Health Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Hiroshima Institute of Technology kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Department of Medical Neurobiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Department of Pharmacotherapy, School of Pharmacy, Shujitsu University kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Department of Medical Neurobiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= en-keyword=Rotenone kn-keyword=Rotenone en-keyword=Astrocyte kn-keyword=Astrocyte en-keyword=Microglia kn-keyword=Microglia en-keyword=SPARC kn-keyword=SPARC en-keyword=Parkinson's disease kn-keyword=Parkinson's disease END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=55 cd-vols= no-issue=1 article-no= start-page=1 end-page=9 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2001 dt-pub=200102 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Localization, regulation, and function of metallothionein-III/growth inhibitory factor in the brain. en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=

The metallothionein (MT) family is a class of low molecular, intracellular, and cysteine-rich proteins with a high affinity for metals. Although the first of these proteins was discovered nearly 40 years ago, their functional significance remains obscure. Four major isoforms (MT-I, MT-II, MT-III, and MT-IV) have been identified in mammals. MT-I and MT-II are ubiquitously expressed in various organs including the brain, while expression of MT-III and MT-IV is restricted in specific organs. MT-III was detected predominantly in the brain, and characterized as a central nervous system-specific isomer. The role of MTs in the central nervous system has become an intense focus of scientific research. An isomer of MTs, MT-III, of particular interest, was originally discovered as a growth inhibitory factor, and has been found to be markedly reduced in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease and several other neurodegenerative diseases. MT-III fulfills unique biological roles in homeostasis of the central nervous system and in the etiology of neuropathological disorders.

en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=AokiSogawa Chiharu en-aut-sei=Aoki en-aut-mei=Sogawa Chiharu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=AsanumaMasato en-aut-sei=Asanuma en-aut-mei=Masato kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=SogawaNorio en-aut-sei=Sogawa en-aut-mei=Norio kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=MiyazakiIkuko en-aut-sei=Miyazaki en-aut-mei=Ikuko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=NakanishiTohru en-aut-sei=Nakanishi en-aut-mei=Tohru kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=FurutaHiroaki en-aut-sei=Furuta en-aut-mei=Hiroaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=OgawaNoriko en-aut-sei=Ogawa en-aut-mei=Noriko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama University affil-num=2 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama University affil-num=3 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama University affil-num=4 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama University affil-num=5 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama University affil-num=6 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama University affil-num=7 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama University en-keyword=neuroprotectin kn-keyword=neuroprotectin en-keyword=metal transport kn-keyword=metal transport en-keyword=localization kn-keyword=localization en-keyword=gene expression kn-keyword=gene expression en-keyword=neurodegenerative disease kn-keyword=neurodegenerative disease END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol= cd-vols= no-issue= article-no= start-page= end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=1991 dt-pub=19910328 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Žξᇔ­ˆη‚Ι‹y‚Ϊ‚·Ά—Šˆ«ƒAƒ~ƒ“‚Μ‰e‹Ώ‚ΙŠΦ‚·‚ιŒ€‹† ƒqƒXƒ^ƒ~ƒ“‚𒆐S‚Ζ‚΅‚Δ en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract= en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name= en-aut-sei= en-aut-mei= kn-aut-name=\μ‹I•v kn-aut-sei=\μ kn-aut-mei=‹I•v aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil= kn-affil=‰ͺŽR‘εŠw END