Intracellular Processing of Disease-Associated α-Synuclein in the Human Brain Suggests Prion-Like Cell-to-Cell Spread
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2014
Keywords
α-Synuclein, Endosome, Ependyma, Gap Junction, Internalisation, Lysosome, Mitochondria, Nanotube, Prion-Like Spreading
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2014.05.020
Abstract
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy are characterized by the deposition of disease-associated α-synuclein. In the present study we 1) examined the molecular specificity of the novel anti-α-synuclein 5G4 antibody; 2) evaluated immunoreactivity patterns and their correlation in human brain tissue with micro- and astrogliosis in 57 cases with PD or DLB; and 3) performed a systematic immunoelectron microscopical mapping of subcellular localizations. 5G4 strongly binds to the high molecular weight fraction of β-sheet rich oligomers, while no binding to primarily disordered oligomers or monomers was observed. We show novel localizations of disease-associated α-synuclein including perivascular macrophages, ependyma and cranial nerves. α-Synuclein immunoreactive neuropil dots and thin threads associate more with glial reaction than Lewy bodies alone. Astrocytic α-synuclein is an important component of the pathology. Furthermore, we document ultrastructurally the pathway of processing of disease-associated α-synuclein within neurons and astroglial cells. Interaction of mitochondria and disease-associated α-synuclein plays a key role in the molecular–structural cytopathogenesis of disorders with Lewy bodies. We conclude that 1) the 5G4 antibody has strong selectivity for β-sheet rich α-synuclein oligomers; 2) Lewy bodies themselves are not the most relevant morphological substrate that evokes tissue lesioning; 3) both neurons and astrocytes internalize disease-associated α-synuclein in the human brain, suggesting prion-like cell-to-cell spread of α-synuclein by uptake from surrounding structures, as shown previously in experimental observations.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Neurobiology of Disease, v. 69, p. 76-92
Scholar Commons Citation
Kovacs, Gabor G.; Breydo, Leonid; Green, Ryan; Kis, Victor; Puska, Gina; Lőrincz, Péter; Perju-Dumbrava, Laura; Giera, Regina; Pirker, Walter; Lutz, Mirjam; Lachmann, Ingolf; Budka, Herbet; Uversky, Vladimir N.; Molnar, Kinga; and László, Lajos, "Intracellular Processing of Disease-Associated α-Synuclein in the Human Brain Suggests Prion-Like Cell-to-Cell Spread" (2014). Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications. 431.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/mme_facpub/431
