Abstract
Planaria are the simplest organisms with bilateral symmetry and a central nervous system (CNS) with cephalization; therefore, they could be useful as model organisms to investigate mechanistic aspects of parkinsonism and to screen potential therapeutic agents. Taking advantage of the organism's anti-tropism towards light, we measured a significantly reduced locomotor velocity in planaria after exposure to 3-iodo-L-tyrosine, an inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase that is an enzyme catalyzing the first and rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of catecholamines. A simple semi-automatic assay using videotaped experiments and subsequent evaluation by tracking software was also implemented to increase throughput. The dopaminergic regulation of locomotor velocity was confirmed by bromocriptine, a drug whose mechanisms of action to treat Parkinson's disease is believed to be through the stimulation of nerves that control movement.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 23289-23296 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | International journal of molecular sciences |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 26 Nov 2013 |
Keywords
- Antiparkinsonian agent
- Bromocriptine
- Monoiodotyrosine
- Parkinsonism
- Planaria
- Tyrosine hydroxylase