Prion infection promotes extensive accumulation of α-synuclein in aged human α-synuclein transgenic mice

Prion. 2012 Apr-Jun;6(2):184-90. doi: 10.4161/pri.19806. Epub 2012 Apr 1.

Abstract

In neurodegenerative disorders of the aging population, misfolded proteins, such as PrP(Sc), α-synuclein, amyloid β protein and tau, can interact resulting in enhanced aggregation, cross seeding and accelerated disease progression. Previous reports have shown that in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and scrapie, α-synuclein accumulates near PrP(Sc) deposits. However, it is unclear if pre-existing human α-synuclein aggregates modified prion disease pathogenesis, or if PrP(Sc) exacerbates the α-synuclein pathology. Here, we inoculated infectious prions into aged α-synuclein transgenic (tg) and non-transgenic littermate control mice by the intracerebral route. Remarkably, inoculation of RML and mNS prions into α-synuclein tg mice resulted in more extensive and abundant intraneuronal and synaptic α-synuclein accumulation. In addition, infectious prions led to the formation of perineuronal α-synuclein deposits with a neuritic plaque-like appearance. Prion pathology was unmodified by the presence of α-synuclein. However, with the mNS prion strain there was a modest but significant acceleration in the time to terminal prion disease in mice having α-synuclein aggregates as compared with non-tg mice. Taken together, these studies support the notion that PrP(Sc) directly or indirectly promotes α-synuclein pathology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Aging
  • Amyloid / chemistry
  • Amyloid / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Blotting, Western
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Brain / pathology
  • Brain Chemistry
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • PrPSc Proteins / chemistry
  • PrPSc Proteins / metabolism*
  • Scrapie / metabolism*
  • alpha-Synuclein / chemistry
  • alpha-Synuclein / genetics
  • alpha-Synuclein / metabolism*

Substances

  • Amyloid
  • PrPSc Proteins
  • alpha-Synuclein