AUTHOR=Goshima Yoshio , Masukawa Daiki , Kasahara Yuka , Hashimoto Tatsuo , Aladeokin Aderemi Caleb 

TITLE=l-DOPA and Its Receptor GPR143: Implications for Pathogenesis and Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2019.01119

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2019.01119

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p><sc>l</sc>-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (<sc>l</sc>-DOPA) is the most effective therapeutic agent for Parkinson’s disease (PD). <sc>l</sc>-DOPA is traditionally believed to be an inert amino acid that exerts actions and effectiveness in PD through its conversion to dopamine. In contrast to this generally accepted idea, <sc>l</sc>-DOPA is proposed to be a neurotransmitter. Recently, GPR143 (OA1), the gene product of <italic>ocular albinism 1</italic> was identified as a receptor candidate for <sc>l</sc>-DOPA. GPR143 is widely expressed in the central and peripheral nervous system. GPR143 immunoreactivity was colocalized with phosphorylated α-synuclein in Lewy bodies in PD brains. GPR143 may contribute to the therapeutic effectiveness of <sc>l</sc>-DOPA and might be related to pathogenesis of PD.</p>