scholarly journals Lewy pathology in Parkinson’s disease consists of a crowded organellar, membranous medley

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah H. Shahmoradian ◽  
Amanda J. Lewis ◽  
Christel Genoud ◽  
Jürgen Hench ◽  
Tim Moors ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Lewy Bodies ◽  
Super Resolution ◽  
Confocal Imaging ◽  
Postmortem Brain ◽  
Lewy Neurites ◽  
Lewy Pathology ◽  
Age Related

SummaryParkinson’s disease, the most common age-related movement disorder, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with unclear etiology. Key neuropathological hallmarks are Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, which are neuronal inclusions that are immunopositive for the protein α-synuclein. In-depth ultrastructural analysis of this Lewy pathology is crucial to understanding pathogenesis and progression of the disease. Using correlative light and electron microscopy/tomography on brain tissue from five Parkinson’s disease brain donors, we identified α-synuclein immunopositive Lewy pathology and could show that the majority of these features including Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites primarily consists of a crowded membranous medley of vesicular structures and dysmorphic organelles. Only a small fraction of observed Lewy bodies contained predominant proteinaceous filaments, as previously described. The crowding of organellar components was confirmed by STED- based super-resolution microscopy, and high lipid content within the α-synuclein immunopositive inclusions was corroborated by confocal imaging, CARS/FTIR imaging and lipidomics. Applying this correlative high-resolution imaging and biophysical approach, we discovered in the postmortem brain of Parkinson’s patients a subcellular protein-lipid compartmentalization not previously described in Lewy pathology.

scholarly journals Srpk3 Decrease Associated with Alpha-Synuclein Increase in Muscles of MPTP-Induced Parkinson’s Disease Mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (17) ◽  
pp. 9375
Author(s):  
Min Hyung Seo ◽  
Sujung Yeo
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
C2c12 Cell ◽  
Lewy Bodies ◽  
Alpha Synuclein ◽  
C2c12 Cells ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Lewy Neurites ◽  
Lewy Pathology ◽  
Interfering Rna

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by a loss of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra, and its histopathological features include the presence of fibrillar aggregates of α-synuclein (α-syn), which are called Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. Lewy pathology has been identified not only in the brain but also in various tissues, including muscles. This study aimed to investigate the link between serine/arginine-rich protein specific kinase 3 (srpk3) and α-syn in muscles in PD. We conducted experiments on the quadriceps femoris of a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mouse model and the C2C12 cell line after treatment with 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) and srpk3 short interfering RNA (siRNA). Compared to the control group, the MPTP group showed significantly reduced expression of srpk3, but increased expression of α-syn. In MPP+-treated C2C12 cells, srpk3 expression gradually decreased and α-syn expression increased with the increasing MPP+ concentration. Moreover, experiments in C2C12 cells using srpk3 siRNA showed increased expressions of α-syn and phosphorylated α-syn. Our results showed that srpk3 expression could be altered by MPTP intoxication in muscles, and this change may be related to changes in α-syn expression. Furthermore, this study could contribute to advancement of research on the mechanism by which srpk3 plays a role in PD.

scholarly journals Fibroblast Growth Factor 20 Gene Polymorphism in Parkinson’s Disease in Asian Population: A Meta-Analysis

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 674
Author(s):  
Han-Lin Chiang ◽  
Yih-Ru Wu ◽  
Yi-Chun Chen ◽  
Hon-Chung Fung ◽  
Chiung-Mei Chen
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Lewy Bodies ◽  
Asian Population ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Lewy Neurites ◽  
Chinese Populations ◽  
Study Results

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease with the pathological hallmark of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites composed of α-synuclein. The SNP rs591323 is one of the risk loci located near the FGF20 gene that has been implicated in PD. The variation of FGF20 in the 3′ untranslated region was shown to increase α-synuclein expression. We examined the association of rs591323 with the risk of PD in a Taiwanese population and conducted a meta-analysis, including our study and two other studies from China, to further confirm the role of this SNP in Taiwanese/Chinese populations. A total of 586 patients with PD and 586 health controls (HCs) were included in our study. We found that the minor allele (A) and the AA + GA genotype under the dominant model are significantly less frequent in PD than in controls. The meta-analysis consisted of 1950 patients with PD and 2073 healthy controls from three studies. There was significant association between rs591323 and the risk of PD in the additive (Z = −3.96; p < 0.0001) and the dominant models (Z = −4.01; p < 0.0001). Our study results and the meta-analysis support the possible protective role of the rs591323 A allele in PD in Taiwanese/Chinese populations.

scholarly journals Cryo-EM structure of alpha-synuclein fibrils

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Guerrero-Ferreira ◽  
Nicholas MI Taylor ◽  
Daniel Mona ◽  
Philippe Ringler ◽  
Matthias E Lauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Lewy Bodies ◽  
Alpha Synuclein ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
Lewy Neurites ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Hydrophobic Cleft

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neuropathological disorder that belongs to the class of synucleinopathies, in which the protein alpha-synuclein is found at abnormally high concentrations in affected neurons. Its hallmark are intracellular inclusions called Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. We here report the structure of cytotoxic alpha-synuclein fibrils (residues 1–121), determined by cryo-electron microscopy at a resolution of 3.4 Å. Two protofilaments form a polar fibril composed of staggered β-strands. The backbone of residues 38 to 95, including the fibril core and the non-amyloid component region, are well resolved in the EM map. Residues 50–57, containing three of the mutation sites associated with familial synucleinopathies, form the interface between the two protofilaments and contribute to fibril stability. A hydrophobic cleft at one end of the fibril may have implications for fibril elongation, and invites for the design of molecules for diagnosis and treatment of synucleinopathies.

scholarly journals Parkinson’s disease-related phosphorylation at Tyr39 rearranges α-synuclein amyloid fibril structure revealed by cryo-EM

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (33) ◽  
pp. 20305-20315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Zhao ◽  
Yeh-Jun Lim ◽  
Zhenying Liu ◽  
Houfang Long ◽  
Yunpeng Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Posttranslational Modifications ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Lewy Bodies ◽  
Interaction Network ◽  
Lewy Neurites ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Fibril Structure

Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of α-synuclein (α-syn), e.g., phosphorylation, play an important role in modulating α-syn pathology in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and α-synucleinopathies. Accumulation of phosphorylated α-syn fibrils in Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites is the histological hallmark of these diseases. However, it is unclear how phosphorylation relates to α-syn pathology. Here, by combining chemical synthesis and bacterial expression, we obtained homogeneous α-syn fibrils with site-specific phosphorylation at Y39, which exhibits enhanced neuronal pathology in rat primary cortical neurons. We determined the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the pY39 α-syn fibril, which reveals a fold of α-syn with pY39 in the center of the fibril core forming an electrostatic interaction network with eight charged residues in the N-terminal region of α-syn. This structure composed of residues 1 to 100 represents the largest α-syn fibril core determined so far. This work provides structural understanding on the pathology of the pY39 α-syn fibril and highlights the importance of PTMs in defining the polymorphism and pathology of amyloid fibrils in neurodegenerative diseases.

Protein stability and aggregation in Parkinson's disease

2008 ◽  
Vol 413 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip A. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Dopaminergic Neurons ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta ◽  
Mitochondrial Activity ◽  
Apparent Paradox ◽  
Lewy Neurites ◽  
Age Related

Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disease, results in abnormalities in motor functioning. Many fundamental questions regarding its aetiology remain unanswered. Pathologically, it is not until 70–80% of the dopaminergic neurons from the substantia nigra pars compacta are lost before clinical symptoms are observed. Thus research into PD is complicated by this apparent paradox in that what appears to be the beginning of the disease at the clinical level is really the end point neurochemically. Consequently, we can only second guess when the disease started and what initiated it. The causation is probably complex, with contributions from both genetic and environmental factors. Intracellular proteinaceous inclusions, Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, found in surviving dopaminergic neurons, are the key pathological characteristic of PD. Their presence points to an inability within these terminally differentiated cells to deal with aggregating proteins. Recent advances in our knowledge of the underlying disease process have come about from studies on models based on genes associated with rare hereditary forms of PD, and mitochondrial toxins that mimic the behavioural effects of PD. The reason that dopaminergic neurons are particularly sensitive may be due to the additional cellular stress caused by the breakdown of the inherently chemically unstable neurotransmitter, dopamine. In the present review, I discuss the proposal that in sporadic disease, interlinked problems of protein processing and inappropriate mitochondrial activity seed the foundation for age-related increased levels of protein damage, and a reduced ability to deal with the damage, leading to inclusion formation and, ultimately, cell toxicity.

scholarly journals Luminescent conjugated oligothiophenes distinguish between α-synuclein assemblies of Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Therése Klingstedt ◽  
Bernardino Ghetti ◽  
Janice L. Holton ◽  
Helen Ling ◽  
K. Peter R. Nilsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Multiple System Atrophy ◽  
Lewy Bodies ◽  
Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging ◽  
Cytoplasmic Inclusions ◽  
Glial Cytoplasmic Inclusions ◽  
Lewy Pathology ◽  
Lifetime Imaging ◽  
The Difference

AbstractSynucleinopathies [Parkinson’s disease with or without dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy] are neurodegenerative diseases that are defined by the presence of filamentous α-synuclein inclusions. We investigated the ability of luminescent conjugated oligothiophenes to stain the inclusions of Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy. They stained the Lewy pathology of Parkinson’s disease and the glial cytoplasmic inclusions of multiple system atrophy. Spectral analysis of HS-68-stained inclusions showed a red shift in multiple system atrophy, but the difference with Parkinson’s disease was not significant. However, when inclusions were double-labelled for HS-68 and an antibody specific for α-synuclein phosphorylated at S129, they could be distinguished based on colour shifts with blue designated for Parkinson’s disease and red for multiple system atrophy. The inclusions of Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy could also be distinguished using fluorescence lifetime imaging. These findings are consistent with the presence of distinct conformers of assembled α-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy.

scholarly journals LRRK2 at the Crossroad of Aging and Parkinson’s Disease

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 505
Author(s):  
Eun-Mi Hur ◽  
Byoung Dae Lee
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Lewy Bodies ◽  
Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Lewy Neurites ◽  
Clinical Presentations ◽  
Lrrk2 Gene ◽  
Cellular Dysfunction

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and the widespread occurrence of proteinaceous inclusions known as Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. The etiology of PD is still far from clear, but aging has been considered as the highest risk factor influencing the clinical presentations and the progression of PD. Accumulating evidence suggests that aging and PD induce common changes in multiple cellular functions, including redox imbalance, mitochondria dysfunction, and impaired proteostasis. Age-dependent deteriorations in cellular dysfunction may predispose individuals to PD, and cellular damages caused by genetic and/or environmental risk factors of PD may be exaggerated by aging. Mutations in the LRRK2 gene cause late-onset, autosomal dominant PD and comprise the most common genetic causes of both familial and sporadic PD. LRRK2-linked PD patients show clinical and pathological features indistinguishable from idiopathic PD patients. Here, we review cellular dysfunctions shared by aging and PD-associated LRRK2 mutations and discuss how the interplay between the two might play a role in PD pathologies.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Protein Misfolding and Neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s Disease: Roads to Biomarker Discovery

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1508
Author(s):  
Anna Picca ◽  
Flora Guerra ◽  
Riccardo Calvani ◽  
Roberta Romano ◽  
Hélio José Coelho-Júnior ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Mitochondrial Dysfunction ◽  
Protein Misfolding ◽  
Biomarker Discovery ◽  
Lewy Bodies ◽  
Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta ◽  
Lewy Neurites ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a highly prevalent neurodegenerative disease among older adults. PD neuropathology is marked by the progressive loss of the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta and the widespread accumulation of misfolded intracellular α-synuclein (α-syn). Genetic mutations and post-translational modifications, such as α-syn phosphorylation, have been identified among the multiple factors supporting α-syn accrual during PD. A decline in the clearance capacity of the ubiquitin-proteasome and the autophagy-lysosomal systems, together with mitochondrial dysfunction, have been indicated as major pathophysiological mechanisms of PD neurodegeneration. The accrual of misfolded α-syn aggregates into soluble oligomers, and the generation of insoluble fibrils composing the core of intraneuronal Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites observed during PD neurodegeneration, are ignited by the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ROS activate the α-syn aggregation cascade and, together with the Lewy bodies, promote neurodegeneration. However, the molecular pathways underlying the dynamic evolution of PD remain undeciphered. These gaps in knowledge, together with the clinical heterogeneity of PD, have hampered the identification of the biomarkers that may be used to assist in diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and prognostication. Herein, we illustrate the main pathways involved in PD pathogenesis and discuss their possible exploitation for biomarker discovery.

scholarly journals Can the lack of fibrillar form of alpha-synuclein in Lewy bodies be explained by its catalytic activity?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan A. Kuznetsov ◽  
Andrey V. Kuznetsov
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Catalytic Activity ◽  
Lewy Bodies ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
Alpha Synuclein ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Lewy Pathology ◽  
Membrane Bound

Finding the causative pathophysiological mechanisms for Parkinson's disease (PD) is important for developing therapeutic interventions. Until recently, it was believed that Lewy bodies (LBs), the hallmark of PD, are mostly composed of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) fibrils. Recent results (Shahmoradian et al., Lewy pathology in Parkinson's disease consists of crowded organelles and lipid membranes, Nature Neuroscience 22 (2019) 1099-1109) demonstrated that the fibrillar form of α-syn is lacking from LBs. Here we propose that this surprising observation can be explained by the catalytic activity of the fibrillar form of α-syn. We assumed that α-syn fibrils catalyze the formation of LBs, but do not become part of them. We developed a mathematical model based on this hypothesis. By using the developed model, we investigated the consequences of this hypothesis. In particular, the model suggests that the long incubation time of PD can be explained by a two-step aggregation process that leads to its development: (i) aggregation of monomeric α-syn into α-syn oligomers and fibrils and (ii) clustering of membrane-bound organelles, which may cause disruption of axonal trafficking and lead to neuron starvation and death. The model shows that decreasing the rate of destruction of α-syn aggregates in somatic lysosomes accelerates the formation of LBs. Another consequence of the model is the prediction that removing α-syn aggregates from the brain after the aggregation of membrane-bound organelles into LBs has started may not stop the progression of PD because LB formation is an autocatalytic process; hence, the formation of LBs will be catalyzed by aggregates of membrane-bound organelles even in the absence of α-syn aggregates. The performed sensitivity study made it possible to establish the hierarchy of model parameters with respect to their effect on the formation of vesicle aggregates in the soma.

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