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      Effect of L-DOPA/Benserazide on Propagation of Pathological α-Synuclein

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          Abstract

          Parkinson’s disease (PD) and related disorders are characterized by filamentous or fibrous structures consisting of abnormal α-synuclein in the brains of patients, and the distributions and spread of these pathologies are closely correlated with disease progression. L-DOPA (a dopamine precursor) is the most effective therapy for PD, but it remains unclear whether the drug has any effect on the formation and propagation of pathogenic abnormal α-synuclein in vivo. Here, we tested whether or not L-DOPA influences the prion-like spread of α-synuclein pathologies in a wild-type (WT) mouse model of α-synuclein propagation. To quantitative the pathological α-synuclein in mice, we prepared brain sections stained with an anti-phosphoSer129 (PS129) antibody after pretreatments with autoclaving and formic acid, and carefully analyzed positive aggregates on multiple sections covering the areas of interest using a microscope. Notably, a significant reduction in the accumulation of phosphorylated α-synuclein was detected in substantia nigra of L-DOPA/benserazide (a dopamine decarboxylase inhibitor)-treated mice, compared with control mice. These results suggest that L-DOPA may slow the progression of PD in vivo by suppressing the aggregation of α-synuclein in dopaminergic neurons and the cell-to-cell propagation of abnormal α-synuclein. This is the first report describing the suppressing effect of L-DOPA/benserazide on the propagation of pathological α-synuclein. The experimental protocols and detection methods in this study are expected to be useful for evaluation of drug candidates or new therapies targeting the propagation of α-synuclein.

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          Most cited references20

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          alpha-Synuclein is phosphorylated in synucleinopathy lesions.

          The deposition of the abundant presynaptic brain protein alpha-synuclein as fibrillary aggregates in neurons or glial cells is a hallmark lesion in a subset of neurodegenerative disorders. These disorders include Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and multiple system atrophy, collectively referred to as synucleinopathies. Importantly, the identification of missense mutations in the alpha-synuclein gene in some pedigrees of familial PD has strongly implicated alpha-synuclein in the pathogenesis of PD and other synucleinopathies. However, specific post-translational modifications that underlie the aggregation of alpha-synuclein in affected brains have not, as yet, been identified. Here, we show by mass spectrometry analysis and studies with an antibody that specifically recognizes phospho-Ser 129 of alpha-synuclein, that this residue is selectively and extensively phosphorylated in synucleinopathy lesions. Furthermore, phosphorylation of alpha-synuclein at Ser 129 promoted fibril formation in vitro. These results highlight the importance of phosphorylation of filamentous proteins in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders.
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            alpha-Synuclein in filamentous inclusions of Lewy bodies from Parkinson's disease and dementia with lewy bodies.

            Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites are the defining neuropathological characteristics of Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. They are made of abnormal filamentous assemblies of unknown composition. We show here that Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites from Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies are stained strongly by antibodies directed against amino-terminal and carboxyl-terminal sequences of alpha-synuclein, showing the presence of full-length or close to full-length alpha-synuclein. The number of alpha-synuclein-stained structures exceeded that immunoreactive for ubiquitin, which is currently the most sensitive marker of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. Staining for alpha-synuclein thus will replace staining for ubiquitin as the preferred method for detecting Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. We have isolated Lewy body filaments by a method used for the extraction of paired helical filaments from Alzheimer's disease brain. By immunoelectron microscopy, extracted filaments were labeled strongly by anti-alpha-synuclein antibodies. The morphologies of the 5- to 10-nm filaments and their staining characteristics suggest that extended alpha-synuclein molecules run parallel to the filament axis and that the filaments are polar structures. These findings indicate that alpha-synuclein forms the major filamentous component of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites.
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              Accelerated in vitro fibril formation by a mutant alpha-synuclein linked to early-onset Parkinson disease.

              Two mutations in the gene encoding alpha-synuclein have been linked to early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD). alpha-Synuclein is a component of Lewy bodies, the fibrous cytoplasmic inclusions characteristic of nigral dopaminergic neurons in the PD brain. This connection between genetics and pathology suggests that the alpha-synuclein mutations may promote PD pathogenesis by accelerating Lewy body formation. To test this, we studied alpha-synuclein folding and aggregation in vitro, in the absence of other Lewy body-associated molecules. We demonstrate here that both mutant forms of alpha-synuclein (A53T and A30P) are, like wild-type alpha-synuclein (WT), disordered in dilute solution. However, at higher concentrations, Lewy body-like fibrils and discrete spherical assemblies are formed; most rapidly by A53T. Thus, mutation-induced acceleration of alpha-synuclein fibril formation may contribute to the early onset of familial PD.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                Front Neurosci
                Front Neurosci
                Front. Neurosci.
                Frontiers in Neuroscience
                Frontiers Media S.A.
                1662-4548
                1662-453X
                14 June 2019
                2019
                : 13
                : 595
                Affiliations
                [1] 1Department of Dementia and Higher Brain Function, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science , Tokyo, Japan
                [2] 2Department of Biological Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University , Tokyo, Japan
                [3] 3Discovery Service, Charles River Laboratories Japan, Inc. , Ibaraki, Japan
                Author notes

                Edited by: Naruhiko Sahara, National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), Japan

                Reviewed by: Gen Matsumoto, Nagasaki University, Japan; Kenjiro Ono, Showa University, Japan

                *Correspondence: Masato Hasegawa, hasegawa-ms@ 123456igakuken.or.jp

                This article was submitted to Neurodegeneration, a section of the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience

                Article
                10.3389/fnins.2019.00595
                6587610
                31258461
                4253eaff-5247-4dd4-b462-294e1fd9bf66
                Copyright © 2019 Shimozawa, Fujita, Kondo, Takimoto, Terada, Sanagi, Hisanaga and Hasegawa.

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

                History
                : 04 March 2019
                : 24 May 2019
                Page count
                Figures: 5, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 36, Pages: 8, Words: 0
                Categories
                Neuroscience
                Brief Research Report

                Neurosciences
                α-synuclein,parkinson’s disease,propagation,l-dopa,benserazide
                Neurosciences
                α-synuclein, parkinson’s disease, propagation, l-dopa, benserazide

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