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Targeting Wnt signaling at the neuroimmune interface for dopaminergic neuroprotection/repair in Parkinson disease Free
Francesca LEpiscopo1, Cataldo Tirolo1, Salvo Caniglia1, Nuccio Testa1, Maria Concetta Morale1, Maria Francesca Serapide2, Stefano Pluchino3, and Bianca Marchetti1,4,*
1OASI Institute for Research and Care on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Neuropharmacology Section, Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
2Department of Physiolocal Sciences, Medical School, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
3Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair and Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0PY, UK
4Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, Pharmacology Section, Medical School, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy *Correspondence to:Bianca Marchetti, E-mail: biancamarchetti@libero.it
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 6, Issue 1, February 2014, 13-26,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjt053
Keyword: Wnt/β-catenin signaling, Parkinson disease, neuroinflammation, dopaminergic neurons neurogenesis, neurodegeneration, neuroprotection

During the past three decades, the Wingless-type MMTV integration site (Wnt) signaling cascade has emerged as an essential system regulating multiple processes in developing and adult brain. Accumulating evidence points to a dysregulation of Wnt signaling in major neurodegenerative pathologies including Parkinson's disease (PD), a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons and deregulated activation of astrocytes and microglia. This review highlights the emerging link between Wnt signaling and key inflammatory pathways during mDA neuron damage/repair in PD progression. In particular, we summarize recent evidence documenting that aging and neurotoxicant exposure strongly antagonize Wnt/β-catenin signaling in mDA neurons and subventricular zone (SVZ) neuroprogenitors via astrocyte–microglial interactions. Dysregulation of the crosstalk between Wnt/β-catenin signaling and anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory pathways delineate novel mechanisms driving the decline of SVZ plasticity with age and the limited nigrostriatal dopaminergic self-repair in PD. These findings hold a promise in developing therapies that target Wnt/β-catenin signaling to enhance endogenous restoration and neuronal outcome in age-dependent diseases, such as PD.