Genes associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) have suggested a role for ubiquitin-proteasome dysfunction and aberrant protein degradation in this disorder. Inasmuch as oxidative stress has also been implicated in PD, the present study examined transcriptional changes mediated by the Parkinsonism-inducing neurotoxins 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP ؉ ) in a dopaminergic cell line. Microarray analysis of RNA isolated from toxin treated samples revealed that the

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... ess-induced transcription factor CHOP/Gadd153 was dramatically up-regulated by both 6-OHDA and MPP ؉ . Treatment with 6-OHDA also induced a large number of genes involved in endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response (UPR) such as ER chaperones and elements of the ubiquitinproteasome system. Reverse transcription-PCR, Western blotting, and immunocytochemical approaches were used to quantify and temporally order the UPR pathways involved in neurotoxin-induced cell death. 6-OHDA, but not MPP ؉ , significantly increased hallmarks of UPR such as BiP, c-Jun, and processed Xbp1 mRNA. Both toxins increased the phosphorylation of UPR proteins, PERK and eIF2␣, but only 6-OHDA increased phosphorylation of c-Jun. Thus, 6-OHDA is capable of triggering multiple pathways associated with UPR, whereas MPP ؉ exhibits a more restricted response. The involvement of UPR in these widely used neurotoxin models supports the role of ubiquitin-proteasome pathway dysfunction in PD.