The Wnts are a family of glycoproteins that regulate cell proliferation, fate decisions, and differentiation. In our study, we examined the contribution of Wnts to the development of ventral midbrain (VM) dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Our results show that ␤-catenin is expressed in DA precursor cells and that ␤-catenin signaling takes place in these cells, as assessed in TOPGAL [Tcf optimal-promoter ␤-galactosidase] reporter mice. We also found that Wnt-1, -3a, and -5a expression is differentially regulated during development and that partially purified Wnts distinctively regulate VM development. Wnt-3a promoted the proliferation of precursor cells expressing the orphan nuclear receptor-related factor 1 (Nurr1) but did not increase the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons. Instead, Wnt-1 and -5a increased the number of rat midbrain DA neurons in rat embryonic day 14.5 precursor cultures by two distinct mechanisms. Wnt-1 predominantly increased the proliferation of Nurr1؉ precursors, up-regulated cyclins D1 and D3, and down-regulated p27 and p57 mRNAs. In contrast, Wnt-5a primarily increased the proportion of Nurr1؉ precursors that acquired a neuronal DA phenotype and up-regulated the expression of Ptx3 and c-ret mRNA. Moreover, the soluble cysteine-rich domain of Frizzled-8 (a Wnt inhibitor) blocked endogenous Wnts and the effects of Wnt-1 and -5a on proliferation and the acquisition of a DA phenotype in precursor cultures. These findings indicate that Wnts are key regulators of proliferation and differentiation of DA precursors during VM neurogenesis and that different Wnts have specific and unique activity profiles.T he development of midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons requires a complex combination of transcriptional regulators and diffusible signals to control both the acquisition and maintenance of a neurotransmitter-specific phenotype. The orphan nuclear receptor-related factor 1 (Nurr1, also known as NR4A2) is the only factor known to be required by midbrain precursor cells for the acquisition of a midbrain DA phenotype (1-4). Null mutations in other transcriptional regulators expressed in DA neurons, such as the homeodomain proteins Lmx1b and Ptx3, result in the loss of midbrain DA neurons after their birth (5-7). With regard to soluble diffusible signals, intersections of Shh (ventrally) and FGF8 (in the isthmus) create sites for the induction of DA neurons (8). Members of the Wnt family of secreted glycoproteins are also expressed in the midbrain (9) and are known to regulate precursor proliferation (10-12), fate decisions (13-17), and neuronal differentiation (18)(19)(20) in the nervous system. Interestingly, deletion of Wnt-1 results in the loss of DA neurons (21) and of the entire midbrain-hindbrain junction (22,23). Another mutant mouse with a similar phenotype in the midbrain is the LRP6 (low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6) null (24), which lacks a receptor necessary for Wnt signaling. Combined, these findings suggest an important role for Wnts during the development of mid...

Parkin gene mutations are reported to be a major cause of early-onset parkinsonism (age at onset < or = 45 years) in families with autosomal recessive inheritance and in isolated juvenile-onset parkinsonism (age at onset <20 years). However, the precise frequency of parkin mutations in isolated cases is not known. In order to evaluate the frequency of parkin mutations in patients with isolated early-onset parkinsonism according to their age at onset, we studied 146 patients of various geographical origin with an age at onset < or = 45 years. All were screened for mutations in the parkin gene using semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction combined with sequencing of the entire coding region. We identified parkin mutations in 20 patients including three new exon rearrangements and two new missense mutations. These results, taken in conjunction with those of our previous study (Lücking et al., 2000) show that parkin mutations account for at least 15% (38 out of 246) of our early-onset cases without family history, but that the proportion decreases significantly with increasing age at onset. There were no clinical group differences between parkin cases and other patients with early-onset parkinsonism. However, a single case presenting with cerebellar ataxia several years before typical parkinsonism extends the spectrum of parkin related-disease.

Previously, we have shown that Wnt-5a strongly regulates dopaminergic neuron differentiation by inducing phosphorylation of Dishevelled (Dvl). Here, we identify additional components of the Wnt-5a-Dvl pathway in dopaminergic cells. Using in vitro gain-of-function and loss-of-function approaches, we reveal that casein kinase 1 (CK1) δ and CK1ϵ are crucial for Dvl phosphorylation by non-canonical Wnts. We show that in response to Wnt-5a, CK1ϵ binds Dvl and is subsequently phosphorylated. Moreover, in response to Wnt-5a or CK1ϵ, the distribution of Dvl changed from punctate to an even appearance within the cytoplasm. The opposite effect was induced by a CK1ϵ kinase-dead mutant or by CK1 inhibitors. As expected, Wnt-5a blocked the Wnt-3a-induced activation of β-catenin. However, both Wnt-3a and Wnt-5a activated Dvl2 by a CK1-dependent mechanism in a cooperative manner. Finally, we show that CK1 kinase activity is necessary for Wnt-5a-induced differentiation of primary dopaminergic precursors. Thus, our data identify CK1 as a component of Wnt-5a-induced signalling machinery that regulates dopaminergic differentiation, and suggest that CK1δ/ϵ-mediated phosphorylation of Dvl is a common step in both canonical and non-canonical Wnt signalling.