L Gao

Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain

Are you L Gao?

Claim your profile

Publications (4)12.01 Total impact

  • Article: Heat shock protein 70 kDa over-expression and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced nigrostriatal degeneration in mice.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Oxidative damage in the dopaminergic neurons of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Heat shock proteins 70 kDa (HSP70s) are a sub-family of molecular chaperones involved in not only protein folding and degradation but also antioxidant defense and anti-apoptotic pathways. Here, a transgenic mice over-expressing an inducible form of Hsp70 was used to determine whether HSP70 affects 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced nigrostriatal degeneration, an experimental model of PD. The Hsp70 transgenic animals exhibited a high level of expression of HSP70 protein in ventral mesencephalon. Dopaminergic cell death in the SNpc was similar between wild-type and Hsp70 transgenic mice with either acute (40 mg/kg, single dose) or chronic (20 mg/kg, three times/week during 1 month) MPTP treatment. In addition, striatal dopamine loss was not different between wild-type and transgenic animals. Three months after the acute MPTP treatment, dopamine loss was partially recovered into a similar level between wild-type and transgenic groups. In conclusion, over-expression of Hsp70 does not suppress dopaminergic neuronal damage at either the somata or the axon terminals of dopaminergic neurons. Hsp70 over-expression does not help axon terminal regeneration either. These results indicate that HSP70 alone is not sufficient to reduce MPTP-induced dopaminergic neuronal damage.
    Neuroscience 07/2011; 193:323-9. · 3.38 Impact Factor
  • Article: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor G196A polymorphism and clinical features in Parkinson's disease.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the dopaminergic neuronal death in substantia nigra, and genetic factors appear to be involved in the pathophysiology of this disease. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is widely expressed in the central nervous system and is necessary for the survival of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra. G196A, a common polymorphism of the BDNF gene, not only affects cognitive and motor processes, but also is associated with various psychiatric disorders. We evaluated whether G196A polymorphism is associated with PD and/or modifies clinical manifestations in PD patients. We included 193 PD patients and 300 control subjects. G196A polymorphism was screened by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Clinical features of each patient were examined in detail. The possible association between genotype and clinical characteristics were determined by bivariate and multivariate analyses. The distribution of G196A allele and genotype frequency was similar between PD and control subjects. Clinical characteristics, including Hoehn-Yahr stage, motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms (depression, cognitive dysfunction, psychiatric dysfunctions, and sleep behavior disorder), and dyskinesias, were not associated with this polymorphism. G196A polymorphism is not a risk factor for PD and does not seem to modify clinical features in PD patients studied here.
    Acta Neurologica Scandinavica 07/2010; 122(1):41-5. · 2.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor G196A polymorphism and clinical features in Parkinson’s disease
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Gao L, Díaz-Corrales FJ, Carrillo F, Díaz-Martín J, Caceres-Redondo MT, Carballo M, Palomino A, López-Barneo J, Mir P. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor G196A polymorphism and clinical features in Parkinson’s disease. Acta Neurol Scand: 2010: 122: 41–45. © 2010 The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Munksgaard.Objectives – Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by the dopaminergic neuronal death in substantia nigra, and genetic factors appear to be involved in the pathophysiology of this disease. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is widely expressed in the central nervous system and is necessary for the survival of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra. G196A, a common polymorphism of the BDNF gene, not only affects cognitive and motor processes, but also is associated with various psychiatric disorders. We evaluated whether G196A polymorphism is associated with PD and/or modifies clinical manifestations in PD patients.Methods – We included 193 PD patients and 300 control subjects. G196A polymorphism was screened by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Clinical features of each patient were examined in detail. The possible association between genotype and clinical characteristics were determined by bivariate and multivariate analyses.Results – The distribution of G196A allele and genotype frequency was similar between PD and control subjects. Clinical characteristics, including Hoehn-Yahr stage, motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms (depression, cognitive dysfunction, psychiatric dysfunctions, and sleep behavior disorder), and dyskinesias, were not associated with this polymorphism.Conclusions – G196A polymorphism is not a risk factor for PD and does not seem to modify clinical features in PD patients studied here.
    Acta Neurologica Scandinavica 06/2010; 122(1):41 - 45. · 2.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: Prevalence and clinical features of LRRK2 mutations in patients with Parkinson’s disease in southern Spain
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Background and purpose: Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene are associated with both familial and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD), whereas mutations in PARK2 (PARKIN) gene result in early onset recessive PD. Here, the objectives were to determine the frequency of LRRK2 G2019S and R1441G mutations in a PD population from southern Spain; to search for LRRK2 mutations in familial PD cases and to study the effect of PARKIN mutations on clinical features of LRRK2-associated; PD.Methods: We included 187 PD patients (172 idiopathic, 15 familial) and 287 control subjects from southern Spain. LRRK2 and PARKIN mutations were screened, and clinical features of LRRK2-associated PD were examined.Results: Three (1.7%) idiopathic PD patients carried the G2019S, whereas another three (1.7%) had the R1441G. A novel polymorphism D1420N was found in two (13.3%) familial PD patients. One G2019S carrier also had a homozygous PARKIN deletion, who had early onset PD with clinical symptoms similar to those with PARKIN-associated PD. The remaining LRRK2-asscociated patients had clinical manifestations similar to those with idiopathic PD.Conclusions: G2019S and R1441G are common LRRK2 mutations in PD patients in this region. PARKIN mutations override clinical features in LRRK2-associated PD.
    European Journal of Neurology 07/2009; 16(8):957 - 960. · 3.69 Impact Factor

Institutions

  • 2010–2011
    • Universidad de Sevilla
      • Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS)
      Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain
  • 2009–2010
    • Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas
      Madrid, Madrid, Spain