TY  - JOUR
A1  - Karikari, Akua A.
A1  - McFleder, Rhonda L.
A1  - Ribechini, Eliana
A1  - Blum, Robert
A1  - Bruttel, Valentin
A1  - Knorr, Susanne
A1  - Gehmeyr, Mona
A1  - Volkmann, Jens
A1  - Brotchie, Jonathan M.
A1  - Ahsan, Fadhil
A1  - Haack, Beatrice
A1  - Monoranu, Camelia-Maria
A1  - Keber, Ursula
A1  - Yeghiazaryan, Rima
A1  - Pagenstecher, Axel
A1  - Heckel, Tobias
A1  - Bischler, Thorsten
A1  - Wischhusen, Jörg
A1  - Koprich, James B.
A1  - Lutz, Manfred B.
A1  - Ip, Chi Wang
T1  - Neurodegeneration by α-synuclein-specific T cells in AAV-A53T-α-synuclein Parkinson’s disease mice
JF  - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
N2  - Background
Antigen-specific neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration are characteristic for neuroimmunological diseases. In Parkinson’s disease (PD) pathogenesis, α-synuclein is a known culprit. Evidence for α-synuclein-specific T cell responses was recently obtained in PD. Still, a causative link between these α-synuclein responses and dopaminergic neurodegeneration had been lacking. We thus addressed the functional relevance of α-synuclein-specific immune responses in PD in a mouse model.
Methods
We utilized a mouse model of PD in which an Adeno-associated Vector 1/2 serotype (AAV1/2) expressing human mutated A53T-α-Synuclein was stereotactically injected into the substantia nigra (SN) of either wildtype C57BL/6 or Recombination-activating gene 1 (RAG1)\(^{-/-}\) mice. Brain, spleen, and lymph node tissues from different time points following injection were then analyzed via FACS, cytokine bead assay, immunohistochemistry and RNA-sequencing to determine the role of T cells and inflammation in this model. Bone marrow transfer from either CD4\(^{+}\)/CD8\(^{-}\), CD4\(^{-}\)/CD8\(^{+}\), or CD4\(^{+}\)/CD8\(^{+}\) (JHD\(^{-/-}\)) mice into the RAG-1\(^{-/-}\) mice was also employed. In addition to the in vivo studies, a newly developed A53T-α-synuclein-expressing neuronal cell culture/immune cell assay was utilized.
Results
AAV-based overexpression of pathogenic human A53T-α-synuclein in dopaminergic neurons of the SN stimulated T cell infiltration. RNA-sequencing of immune cells from PD mouse brains confirmed a pro-inflammatory gene profile. T cell responses were directed against A53T-α-synuclein-peptides in the vicinity of position 53 (68–78) and surrounding the pathogenically relevant S129 (120–134). T cells were required for α-synuclein-induced neurodegeneration in vivo and in vitro, while B cell deficiency did not protect from dopaminergic neurodegeneration.
Conclusions
Using T cell and/or B cell deficient mice and a newly developed A53T-α-synuclein-expressing neuronal cell culture/immune cell assay, we confirmed in vivo and in vitro that pathogenic α-synuclein peptide-specific T cell responses can cause dopaminergic neurodegeneration and thereby contribute to PD-like pathology.
KW  - Parkinson’s disease
KW  - α-synuclein-specific T cells
KW  - neurodegeneration
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300600
VL  - 101
SP  - 194
EP  - 210
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Grotemeyer, Alexander
A1  - McFleder, Rhonda Leah
A1  - Wu, Jingjing
A1  - Wischhusen, Jörg
A1  - Ip, Chi Wang
T1  - Neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s disease – putative pathomechanisms and targets for disease-modification
JF  - Frontiers in Immunology
N2  - Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive and debilitating chronic disease that affects more than six million people worldwide, with rising prevalence. The hallmarks of PD are motor deficits, the spreading of pathological α-synuclein clusters in the central nervous system, and neuroinflammatory processes. PD is treated symptomatically, as no causally-acting drug or procedure has been successfully established for clinical use. Various pathways contributing to dopaminergic neuron loss in PD have been investigated and described to interact with the innate and adaptive immune system. We discuss the possible contribution of interconnected pathways related to the immune response, focusing on the pathophysiology and neurodegeneration of PD. In addition, we provide an overview of clinical trials targeting neuroinflammation in PD.
KW  - Parkinson’s disease
KW  - neuroinflammation
KW  - T cells
KW  - microglia
KW  - neurodegeneration
KW  - animal models
KW  - inflammatory cascades
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-274665
SN  - 1664-3224
VL  - 13
ER  -