TY - JOUR A1 - Wang Ip, Chi A1 - Klaus, Laura-Christin A1 - Karikari, Akua A. A1 - Visanji, Naomi P. A1 - Brotchie, Jonathan M. A1 - Lang, Anthony E. A1 - Volkmann, Jens A1 - Koprich, James B. T1 - AAV1/2-induced overexpression of A53T-α-synuclein in the substantia nigra results in degeneration of the nigrostriatal system with Lewy-like pathology and motor impairment: a new mouse model for Parkinson’s disease JF - Acta Neuropathologica Communications N2 - α-Synuclein is a protein implicated in the etiopathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). AAV1/2-driven overexpression of human mutated A53T-α-synuclein in rat and monkey substantia nigra (SN) induces degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neurons and decreases striatal dopamine and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Given certain advantages of the mouse, especially it being amendable to genetic manipulation, translating the AAV1/2-A53T α-synuclein model to mice would be of significant value. AAV1/2-A53T α-synuclein or AAV1/2 empty vector (EV) at a concentration of 5.16 x 10\(^{12}\) gp/ml were unilaterally injected into the right SN of male adult C57BL/6 mice. Post-mortem examinations included immunohistochemistry to analyze nigral α-synuclein, Ser129 phosphorylated α-synuclein and TH expression, striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) levels by autoradiography and dopamine levels by high performance liquid chromatography. At 10 weeks, in AAV1/2-A53T α-synuclein mice there was a 33% reduction in TH+ dopaminergic nigral neurons (P < 0.001), 29% deficit in striatal DAT binding (P < 0.05), 38% and 33% reductions in dopamine (P < 0.001) and DOPAC (P < 0.01) levels and a 60% increase in dopamine turnover (homovanilic acid/dopamine ratio; P < 0.001). Immunofluorescence showed that the AAV1/2-A53T α-synuclein injected mice had widespread nigral and striatal expression of vector-delivered A53T-α-synuclein. Concurrent staining with human PD SN samples using gold standard histological methodology for Lewy pathology detection by proteinase K digestion and application of specific antibody raised against human Lewy body α-synuclein (LB509) and Ser129 phosphorylated α-synuclein (81A) revealed insoluble α-synuclein aggregates in AAV1/2-A53T α-synuclein mice resembling Lewy-like neurites and bodies. In the cylinder test, we observed significant paw use asymmetry in the AAV1/2-A53T α-synuclein group when compared to EV controls at 5 and 9 weeks post injection (P < 0.001; P < 0.05). These data show that unilateral injection of AAV1/2-A53T α-synuclein into the mouse SN leads to persistent motor deficits, neurodegeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system and development of Lewy-like pathology, thereby reflecting clinical and pathological hallmarks of human PD. KW - Lewy-like pathology KW - Parkinson’s disease KW - α-synuclein KW - A53T KW - mutation KW - mouse model Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-159429 VL - 5 IS - 11 ER - TY - THES A1 - Karikari, Akua Afriyie T1 - Alpha Synuclein Specific T Lymphocytes Promote Neurodegeneration in the A53T-α-synuclein Parkinson's Disease Mouse Model T1 - Alpha Synuclein-spezifische T Lymphocytes verursachen Neurodegeneration im A53T-α-synuclein Parkinson-Krankheitsmodell N2 - Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is the most common motor neurodegenerative disorder has attracted a tremendous amount of research advancement amid the challenges of the lack of an appropriate model that summate all the features of the human disease. Nevertheless, an aspect of the disease that is yet to be fully elucidated is the role of the immune system particularly the adaptive arm in the pathogenesis of PD. The focus of this study therefore was to characterize the contribution of lymphocytes in PD using the AAV1/2-A53T-α-synuclein mouse model of the disease that encodes for human mutated A53T-α-synuclein. This model was suitable for this research because it reflects more faithfully the molecular pathology underlying the human disease by exhibition of insoluble α-synuclein containing Lewy-like protein aggregates as compared to the more classical toxin models used in PD research. The outcome of this study showed that stereotaxic delivery of pathogenic α-synuclein via a viral vector into the substantia nigra engender the invasion of activated CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the brain. The invasion of activated T cells in the brain especially in the substantia nigra then results in enhanced microglial activation and the disintegration of dopaminergic neurons. In addition, it was also discovered that CD4+ T cells augmented dopaminergic cell death to a greater extent than CD8+ T cells although; axonal degeneration occurred relatively independent from T cells contribution. The ex vivo and in vitro, experiments also indicated that the T cells were not only activated but they were specific to the mutated human α-synuclein antigen. As a result, they demonstrated selectivity in inducing more cell death to primary hippocampal neurons transduced with AAV1/2-A53T-α-synuclein vector than neurons with empty viral vector infection. The mechanism of T cell induced neuronal cell loss could not be attributed to the presence of cytokines neither was it mediated through MHC I and II. On the whole, this research has established that the presence of pathogenic α-synuclein in the substantia nigra has the potential to trigger immune responses that involve the transmigration of adaptive immune cells into the brain. The infiltration of the T cells consequently has a detrimental effect on the survival of dopaminergic neurons and the progression of the disease N2 - Der M. Parkinson (PD) ist die am häufigsten auftretende motorische neurodegenerative Erkrankung weltweit. Trotz des Fehlens eines geeigneten Tiermodells, das alle Merkmale der menschlichen Krankheit widerspiegelt, kann die Parkinsonforschung in letzter Zeit einen enormen Fortschritt verzeichnen. Dennoch ist ein Aspekt der Krankheit, der noch nicht vollständig geklärt wurde, die Rolle von Immunzellen, insbesondere des adaptiven Arms in der Pathogenese der PD. Der Fokus dieser Studie lag daher auf der Charakterisierung des Beitrags von T-Zellen in der PD unter Verwendung des humanen mutierten AAV1/2-A53T-α- Synuclein-Mausmodells der Parkinsonkrankheit. Dieses Modell war für die vorliegende Arbeit optimal geeignet, da es die molekulare Pathologie der menschlichen Krankheit im Gegensatz zu den klassischen Toxinmodellen in der PD-Forschung besser widerspiegelt. Das Ergebnis dieser Studie zeigte, dass die stereotaktische Injektion von pathogenem α-synuclein über einen viralen Vektor in die Substantia nigra die Infiltration aktivierter CD4+ - und CD8+ T-Lymphozyten im Gehirn hervorruft. Die Einwanderung aktivierter T-Zellen im Gehirn, insbesondere in der Substantia nigra, führte begleitet durch eine verstärkte Mikroglia- Aktivierung zum Verlust dopaminerger Neurone. Darüber hinaus wurde beobachtet, dass CD4+ T-Zellen den Untergang von dopaminergen Neuronen in einem größeren Ausmaß als CD8+ T-Zellen verursachten. Interessanterweise trat die axonale Degeneration dopaminerger Fasern im Striatum relativ unabhängig von den T-Zellen auf. Durch ex vivo und in vitro Experimente konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass die T-Zellen nicht nur aktiviert waren, sondern auch antigenspezifisch gegen das mutierte humane α-Synuclein-Antigen reagierten. Als Ergebnis zeigten sie Selektivität bei der Herbeiführung eines höheren Zelltods für Dabei zeigten AAV1/2-A53T-α-Synuclein-Vektor transduzierte primäre Hippocampus-Neurone einen verstärkten Zelltod durch Inkubation mit T-Zellen aus dem Gehirn von AAV1/2-A53T- α-Synuclein-Vektor injizierten Mäusen als Neurone nach Injektion mit leerem AAV. Der Mechanismus des durch T-Zellen induzierten neuronalen Zellverlusts konnte nicht auf das Vorhandensein von Zytokinen zurückgeführt werden. Insgesamt konnte diese Arbeit zeigen, dass das Vorhandensein von pathogenem α-synuclein in der Substantia nigra in dem AAV1/2- A53T-α-synuclein Mausmodell des PD das Potenzial hat, Immunreaktionen auszulösen, welche die Transmigration adaptiver Immunzellen in das Gehirn und einen konsekutiven Verlust dopaminerger Neurone verursachen. KW - Parkinson-Krankheit KW - α-synuclein KW - T cell specificity KW - Parkinson's disease Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-183080 ER -