Casini Arianna, Vivacqua Giorgio, Ceci Ludovica, Leone Stefano, Vaccaro Rosa, Tagliafierro Marco, Bassi Filippo Maria, Vitale Sara, Bocci Emanuele, Pannarale Luigi, Carotti Simone, Franchitto Antonio, Mancini Patrizia, Sferra Roberta, Vetuschi Antonella, Latella Giovanni, Onori Paolo, Gaudio Eugenio, Mancinelli Romina
Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic Medicine and Orthopaedics Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Alfonso Borelli 50 - 00161, Rome, Italy.
Integrated Research Center (PRAAB), Campus Biomedico University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Cell Tissue Res. 2025 Feb;399(2):247-265. doi: 10.1007/s00441-024-03932-4. Epub 2024 Dec 10.
Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is widely expressed in presynaptic neuron terminals, and its structural alterations play an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Aggregated α-syn has been found in brain, in the peripheral nerves of the enteric nervous system (ENS) and in the intestinal neuroendocrine cells during synucleinopathies and inflammatory bowel disorders. In the present study, we evaluated the histomorphological features of murine colon with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis, a common model of colitis. Thereafter, we investigated the expression of α-syn, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), and calcitonin-like receptor (CALCR). Finally, we investigated the presence of phosphorylated α-syn (pS129 α-syn) aggregates and their relationship with inflammatory cells. Colon from TNBS mice showed an increase in inflammatory cells infiltrate and significative changes in the architecture of the intestinal mucosa. α-Syn expression was significantly higher in inflamed colon. VIP was increased in both the mucosa and muscularis externa of TNBS mice, while TH, CGRP, and CALCR were significantly reduced in TNBS mice. Amyloid aggregates of pS129 α-syn were detectable in the ENS, as in the macrophages around the glands of the mucosa correlating with the markers of inflammation. This study describes - for the first time - the altered expression of α-syn and the occurrence of amyloid α-syn aggregates in the inflammatory cells under colitis, supporting the critical role of bowel inflammation in synucleinopathies and the involvement of α-syn in IBD.
α-突触核蛋白(α-syn)广泛表达于突触前神经元终末,其结构改变在帕金森病(PD)的发病机制中起重要作用。在突触核蛋白病和炎症性肠病期间,已在大脑、肠神经系统(ENS)的外周神经以及肠道神经内分泌细胞中发现聚集的α-syn。在本研究中,我们评估了2,4,6-三硝基苯磺酸(TNBS)诱导的结肠炎(一种常见的结肠炎模型)小鼠结肠的组织形态学特征。此后,我们研究了α-syn、Toll样受体4(TLR4)、胆碱乙酰转移酶(ChAT)、血管活性肠肽(VIP)、酪氨酸羟化酶(TH)、降钙素基因相关肽(CGRP)和降钙素样受体(CALCR)的表达。最后,我们研究了磷酸化α-syn(pS129 α-syn)聚集体的存在及其与炎症细胞的关系。TNBS小鼠的结肠显示炎症细胞浸润增加,肠黏膜结构发生显著变化。α-syn在发炎的结肠中表达明显更高。TNBS小鼠的黏膜和肌层中VIP均增加,而TNBS小鼠的TH、CGRP和CALCR则显著降低。在ENS中可检测到pS129 α-syn的淀粉样聚集体,在黏膜腺周围的巨噬细胞中也可检测到,这与炎症标志物相关。本研究首次描述了结肠炎情况下α-syn表达的改变以及炎症细胞中淀粉样α-syn聚集体的出现,支持肠道炎症在突触核蛋白病中的关键作用以及α-syn参与炎症性肠病。