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=Volume 10 - 2019

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=L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) is a most effective therapeutic agent for Parkinson’s disease (PD). L-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, L-DOPA is proposed to be a neurotransmitter. Recently, GPR143 (OA1), the gene product of ocular albinism 1 was identified as a receptor candidate for L-DOPA. GPR143 is widely expressed in the central and peripheral nervous system. GPR143 immunoreactivity was colocalized with phosphorylated -synuclein in Lewy bodies in PD brains. GPR143 may contribute to the therapeutic effectiveness of L-DOPA and might be related to pathogenesis of PD.