Acute administration of L-DOPA induces changes in methylation metabolites, reduced protein phosphatase 2A methylation, and hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein in mouse brain

J Neurosci. 2012 Jul 4;32(27):9173-81. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0125-12.2012.

Abstract

Folate deficiency and hypomethylation have been implicated in a number of age-related neurodegenerative disorders including dementia and Parkinson's disease (PD). Levodopa (L-dopa) therapy in PD patients has been shown to cause an increase in plasma total homocysteine as well as depleting cellular concentrations of the methyl donor, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), and increasing the demethylated product S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). Modulation of the cellular SAM/SAH ratio can influence activity of methyltransferase enzymes, including leucine carboxyl methyltransferase that specifically methylates Ser/Thr protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), a major Tau phosphatase. Here we show in human SH-SY5Y cells, in dopaminergic neurons, and in wild-type mice that l-dopa results in a reduced SAM/SAH ratio that is associated with hypomethylation of PP2A and increased phosphorylation of Tau (p-Tau) at the Alzheimer's disease-like PHF-1 phospho-epitope. The effect of L-dopa on PP2A and p-Tau was exacerbated in cells exposed to folate deficiency. In the folate-deficient mouse model, L-dopa resulted in a marked depletion of SAM and an increase in SAH in various brain regions with parallel downregulation of PP2A methylation and increased Tau phosphorylation. L-Dopa also enhanced demethylated PP2A amounts in the liver. These findings reveal a novel mechanism involving methylation-dependent pathways in L-dopa induces PP2A hypomethylation and increases Tau phosphorylation, which may be potentially detrimental to neuronal cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiparkinson Agents / toxicity
  • Brain / drug effects
  • Brain / metabolism*
  • Brain / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Dopaminergic Neurons / drug effects
  • Dopaminergic Neurons / enzymology*
  • Humans
  • Levodopa / toxicity*
  • Male
  • Methylation / drug effects
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Nerve Degeneration / chemically induced
  • Nerve Degeneration / metabolism*
  • Nerve Degeneration / physiopathology
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Phosphorylation / drug effects
  • Phosphorylation / physiology
  • Primary Cell Culture
  • Protein Phosphatase 2 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Protein Phosphatase 2 / metabolism*
  • tau Proteins / agonists
  • tau Proteins / biosynthesis
  • tau Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Antiparkinson Agents
  • tau Proteins
  • Levodopa
  • Protein Phosphatase 2