Differential strain susceptibility following 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) administration acts in an autosomal dominant fashion: quantitative analysis in seven strains of Mus musculus.

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) has been used as a potent neurotoxin to approximate, in animals, the pathology that is observed in human Parkinson's disease. In this study, we examine the toxicity of MPTP in seven strains of mice, spanning a genetic continuum of Mus musculus as a prelude to uncovering complex traits associated with MPTP toxicity. Seven days following injection of 80 mg/kg MPTP (4x20 mg/kg every 2 h), we find that the individual mouse strains exhibit dramatic differences in SNpc neuron survival, ranging from 63% cell loss in C57BL/6J mice to 14% cell loss in Swiss-Webster (SW) mice. In order to determine if the susceptibility trait was dominant, additive or recessive, we crossed C57Bl/6J mice with either SWR/J or AKR/J mice and examined the effect of MPTP on F1 C57BL/6JxSWR/J or F1 C57BL/6JxAKR/J animals. We find that all of the F1 animals were phenotypically identical to the C57BL/6J animals. In addition, no gender differences were noted in any of the MPTP-treated inbred mice or in the F1 animals. These results suggest that susceptibility to cell loss following MPTP is autosomal dominant and this polymorphism is carried on the C57BL/6J allele.