Expression of RAD9B in the mesostriatal system of rats and humans: Overexpression in a 6-OHDA rat model of Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects primarily the dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons of the mesostriatal system, among other nuclei of the brain. Although it is considered an idiopathic disease, oxidative stress is believed to be involved in DAergic neuron death and therefore plays an important role in the onset and development of the disease. RAD9B is a paralog of the RAD9 checkpoint, sharing some similar functions related to DNA damage resistance and apoptosis, as well as the ability to form 9-1-1 heterotrimers with RAD1 and HUS1. METHODS: In addition to immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and Western-blot analysis, we implemented Quantitative RT-PCR and in situ hybridization techniques. RESULTS: We demonstrated RAD9B expression in rat and human mesencephalic DAergic cells using specific markers. Additionally, we observed significant overexpression of RAD9B mRNA (p<0.01) and protein (p<0.01) in the midbrain 48 h after inducing damage with 150 µg of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) injected in a rat model of PD. Regarding protein expression, the increased levels were observed in neurons of the mesostriatal system and returned to normal 5 days post-injury. CONCLUSIONS: This response to a neurotoxin, known to produce oxidative stress specifically on DAergic neurons indicates the potential importance of RAD9B in this highly vulnerable population to cell death. In this model, RAD9B function appears to provide neuroprotection, as the induced lesion resulted in only mild degeneration. This observation highlights the potential of RAD9B checkpoint protein as a valuable target for future therapeutic interventions aimed at promoting neuroprotection.