Otx2 controls neuron subtype identity in ventral tegmental area and antagonizes vulnerability to MPTP.

This study shows that the transcriptional repressor Otx2 negatively regulates the expression of the dopamine transporter DAT in dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Elevated Otx2 confers resistance to the neurotoxin MPTP and may explain why a subpopulation of VTA neurons resist degeneration in Parkinson's disease.