Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has proved efficacious in treatment of neurodegeneration in toxin-induced models of Parkinson disease (PD), but clinical trials have been equivocal. Do the results of a recent study—suggesting that GDNF is ineffective in an α-synuclein-overexpression PD model—exclude GDNF as a therapy for PD?
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Relevant articles
Open Access articles citing this article.
-
Ret is essential to mediate GDNF’s neuroprotective and neuroregenerative effect in a Parkinson disease mouse model
Cell Death & Disease Open Access 08 September 2016
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Eberling, J. L. et al. Functional effects of AAV2-GDNF on the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway in parkinsonian rhesus monkeys. Hum. Gene Ther. 20, 511–518 (2009).
Decressac, M. et al. GDNF fails to exert neuroprotection in a rat α-synuclein model of Parkinson's disease. Brain 134, 2302–2311 (2011).
Kordower, J. H. et al. Clinicopathological findings following intraventricular glial-derived neurotrophic factor treatment in a patient with Parkinson's disease. Ann. Neurol. 46, 419–424 (1999).
Gill, S. S. et al. Direct brain infusion of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in Parkinson disease. Nat. Med. 9, 589–595 (2003).
Lang, A. E. et al. Randomized controlled trial of intraputamenal glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor infusion in Parkinson disease. Ann. Neurol. 59, 459–466 (2006).
Trupp, M. et al. Peripheral expression and biological activities of GDNF, a new neurotrophic factor for avian and mammalian peripheral neurons. J. Cell Biol. 130, 137–148 (1995).
Hudson, J. et al. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor augments midbrain dopaminergic circuits in vivo. Brain Res. Bull. 36, 425–432 (1995).
Walker, D. G. et al. Expression of the proto-oncogene Ret, a component of the GDNF receptor complex, persists in human substantia nigra neurons in Parkinson's disease. Brain Res. 792, 207–217 (1998).
Bäckman, C. M. et al. Gene expression patterns for GDNF and its receptors in the human putamen affected by Parkinson's disease: a real-time PCR study. Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 252, 160–166 (2006).
Bellucci, A. et al. Induction of the unfolded protein response by α-synuclein in experimental models of Parkinson's disease. J. Neurochem. 116, 588–605 (2011).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hoffer, B., Harvey, B. Is GDNF beneficial in Parkinson disease?. Nat Rev Neurol 7, 600–602 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2011.149
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2011.149
This article is cited by
-
GDNF/RET signaling in dopamine neurons in vivo
Cell and Tissue Research (2020)
-
Ret is essential to mediate GDNF’s neuroprotective and neuroregenerative effect in a Parkinson disease mouse model
Cell Death & Disease (2016)
-
RET revisited: expanding the oncogenic portfolio
Nature Reviews Cancer (2014)
-
The Proform of Glia Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor: a Potentially Biologically Active Protein
Molecular Neurobiology (2014)
-
Functional Neuroprotection and Efficient Regulation of GDNF Using Destabilizing Domains in a Rodent Model of Parkinson’s Disease
Molecular Therapy (2013)
