Stimulation of L-type calcium channels increases tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine in ventral midbrain cells induced from somatic cells.

ABSTRACT: Making high-quality dopamine (DA)-producing cells for basic biological or small molecule screening studies is critical for the development of novel therapeutics for disorders of the ventral midbrain. Currently, many ventral midbrain assays have low signal-to-noise ratio due to low levels of cellular DA and the rate-limiting enzyme of DA synthesis, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), hampering discovery efforts. Using intensively characterized ventral midbrain cells derived from human skin, which demonstrate calcium pacemaking activity and classical electrophysiological properties, we show that an L-type calcium agonist can significantly increase TH protein levels and DA content and release. Live calcium imaging suggests that it is the immediate influx of calcium occurring simultaneously in all cell

SUBMITTER: Jefri M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7214648 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature