Abstract
The expression of the human adenosine A2A receptor was examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in post-mortem human brain tissue that was obtained from normal subjects and patients who died with Parkinson's disease. Adenosine A2A receptor mRNA was detected in both striatal (nucleus accumbens, caudate nucleus and putamen) and extrastriatal (globus pallidus and substantia nigra) brain regions. A significant decrease in the level of adenosine A2A receptor mRNA was found in the anterior and posterior caudate nucleus and anterior dorsal putamen, whereas a significant increase was observed in the substantia nigra pars reticulata of Parkinsonian brain when compared to age-matched controls. No change in adenosine A2A receptor mRNA levels was seen in any other brain region examined. This study demonstrates that A2A receptor mRNA expression is altered in the basal ganglia of patients who died with Parkinson's disease and who were receiving treatment with dopaminergic drugs. The adenosine A2A receptor appears subject to regulation by dopaminergic systems in human brain, though these data do not permit a distinction to be made between the effects of neuronal degeneration or drug treatment. The adenosine A2A receptor may therefore form a target for the treatment of basal ganglia disease.
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