Tapias Victor, Hu Xiaoping, Luk Kelvin C, Sanders Laurie H, Lee Virginia M, Greenamyre J Timothy
Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 East 68th Street, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Ave, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2017 Aug;74(15):2851-2874. doi: 10.1007/s00018-017-2541-x. Epub 2017 May 22.
Intracellular accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) are hallmarks of synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease (PD). Exogenous addition of preformed α-syn fibrils (PFFs) into primary hippocampal neurons induced α-syn aggregation and accumulation. Likewise, intrastriatal inoculation of PFFs into mice and non-human primates generates Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites associated with PD-like neurodegeneration. Herein, we investigate the putative effects of synthetic human PFFs on cultured rat ventral midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons. A time- and dose-dependent accumulation of α-syn was observed following PFFs exposure that also underwent phosphorylation at serine 129. PFFs treatment decreased the expression levels of synaptic proteins, caused alterations in axonal transport-related proteins, and increased H2AX Ser139 phosphorylation. Mitochondrial impairment (including modulation of mitochondrial dynamics-associated protein content), enhanced oxidative stress, and an inflammatory response were also detected in our experimental paradigm. In attempt to unravel a potential molecular mechanism of PFFs neurotoxicity, the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase was blocked; a significant decline in protein nitration levels and protection against PFFs-induced DA neuron death were observed. Combined exposure to PFFs and rotenone resulted in an additive toxicity. Strikingly, many of the harmful effects found were more prominent in DA rather than non-DA neurons, suggestive of higher susceptibility to degenerate. These findings provide new insights into the role of α-syn in the pathogenesis of PD and could represent a novel and valuable model to study DA-related neurodegeneration.
α-突触核蛋白(α-syn)的细胞内积聚是突触核蛋白病的标志,包括帕金森病(PD)。将预先形成的α-突触核蛋白纤维(PFFs)外源添加到原代海马神经元中会诱导α-突触核蛋白聚集和积聚。同样,将PFFs纹状体内接种到小鼠和非人类灵长类动物中会产生与PD样神经退行性变相关的路易小体和路易神经突。在此,我们研究合成人PFFs对培养的大鼠腹侧中脑多巴胺(DA)神经元的假定作用。在暴露于PFFs后观察到α-突触核蛋白呈时间和剂量依赖性积聚,且其在丝氨酸129处也发生了磷酸化。PFFs处理降低了突触蛋白的表达水平,引起轴突运输相关蛋白的改变,并增加了H2AX丝氨酸139的磷酸化。在我们的实验模型中还检测到线粒体损伤(包括线粒体动力学相关蛋白含量的调节)、氧化应激增强和炎症反应。为了揭示PFFs神经毒性的潜在分子机制,诱导型一氧化氮合酶的表达被阻断;观察到蛋白硝化水平显著下降以及对PFFs诱导的DA神经元死亡具有保护作用。联合暴露于PFFs和鱼藤酮导致相加毒性。令人惊讶的是,发现的许多有害作用在DA神经元中比在非DA神经元中更突出,提示对变性的易感性更高。这些发现为α-突触核蛋白在PD发病机制中的作用提供了新的见解,并可能代表一种研究DA相关神经退行性变的新颖且有价值的模型。