Nurr1: A New Insight to Protects Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

The developmental transcription factors are important in early neuron specification and differentiation often remains expressed in the adult brain for regulation and maintenances of essential neurophysiological functions. The involvement of transcription factors required for the regulation of long-term survival of central dopaminergic neurons may provide new insight into the etiology and molecular mechanisms leading to dopaminergic cell deaths in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Nurr1, a transcription factor belonging to the orphan nuclear receptor super-family play a vital role in the development, maintenance and survival of dopaminergic neurons. It appears to regulate the expression of dopaminergic markers, and synthesis, transport and storage of dopamine. Decreased Nurr1 expression is found in the autopsied PD midbrains, particularly in neurons containing Lewy bodies, as well as in peripheral lymphocytes of patients with PD. Several variants in Nurr1 gene have been reported in association with PD, in this review we proposed that Nurr1is an essential factor for the maintenance of dopaminergic neuron functions, but it may also play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of PD.