The neurotransmitter substance P (SP) is implicated in a number of neurological disorders, yet the regulation of the SP-encoding preprotachykinin (PPT) gene is poorly understood. Using organotypic brain slice cultures, particle-mediated gene transfection, quantitative confocal microscopic analysis and site specific mutagenesis, we will identify the gene regulatory elements mediating neuron-specific expression and the response to dopamine and other stimuli. For the first time, PPT promoter activity will be quantified within single, living PPT-expressing neurons. Ultimately, the ability to modify substance P neurotransmission at the transcriptional level may constitute a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, chronic pain, anxiety and depression, addiction and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 12 publications