Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, BMS J483/CTRND, 1275 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2023 Jul 23;11(1):119. doi: 10.1186/s40478-023-01623-9.
Post-translational modifications to the carboxyl (C) terminus domain of α-synuclein can play an important role in promoting the pathologic aggregation of α-synuclein. Various cleavages that diminish this highly charged, proline-rich region can result in exposure of hydrophobic, aggregation-prone regions, thereby accelerating the aggregation kinetics of α-synuclein into misfolded, pathologic forms. C-terminally truncated forms of α-synuclein are abundant in human diseased brains compared to controls, suggesting a role in disease pathogenesis. Factors that alter the homeostatic proteolytic processing of α-synuclein may ultimately tip the balance towards a progressive disease state. Apolipoprotein E (APOE) has been implicated in the acceleration of cognitive impairment in patients with Lewy body diseases. The APOE4 isoform has been found to cause dysregulation in the endosomal-lysosomal pathway, which could result in altered α-synuclein degradation as a potential mechanism for promoting its pathologic misfolding. Herein, we investigate the spatiotemporal accumulation of C-terminally truncated α-synuclein in a seeded and progressive mouse model of synucleinopathy. Furthermore, we study how this process is influenced in the context of mice that are altered to express either the human APOE3 or APOE4 isoforms. We found that specific C-terminal truncation of α-synuclein occurs at early stages of pathogenesis. We also found that proteolytic processing of this domain differs across various brain regions and is influenced by the presence of different human APOE isoforms. Our data demonstrate an early pathogenic role for C-terminally truncated α-synuclein, and highlight the influence of APOE isoforms in modulating its impact.
α-突触核蛋白羧基(C)端结构域的翻译后修饰在促进α-突触核蛋白病理性聚集中起着重要作用。各种减少该高度带电、脯氨酸丰富区域的切割可导致疏水性、易于聚集区域的暴露,从而加速α-突触核蛋白错误折叠为病理性形式的聚集动力学。与对照组相比,富含人类患病大脑中的 C 端截短形式的α-突触核蛋白,这表明其在疾病发病机制中起作用。改变α-突触核蛋白的体内平衡蛋白水解加工的因素可能最终导致疾病状态向进行性发展。载脂蛋白 E(APOE)已被牵连在路易体病患者认知障碍的加速中。已经发现 APOE4 同工型导致内体溶酶体途径的失调,这可能导致α-突触核蛋白降解的改变,作为促进其病理性错误折叠的潜在机制。在此,我们研究了在突触核蛋白病的种子和进行性小鼠模型中 C 端截短的α-突触核蛋白的时空积累。此外,我们研究了在改变表达人类 APOE3 或 APOE4 同工型的小鼠中,这一过程是如何受到影响的。我们发现α-突触核蛋白的特定 C 端截断发生在发病机制的早期阶段。我们还发现该结构域的蛋白水解加工在不同的脑区不同,并且受到不同的人类 APOE 同工型的影响。我们的数据表明 C 端截短的α-突触核蛋白在发病早期具有致病性作用,并强调了 APOE 同工型在调节其作用方面的影响。