Impaired olfactory bulb neurogenesis depends on the presence of human wild-type alpha-synuclein

May VEL, Nuber S, Marxreiter F, Riess O, Winner B, Winkler J (2012)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2012

Journal

Book Volume: 222

Pages Range: 343-55

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.07.001

Abstract

Synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease (PD) are characterized by the accumulation of alpha-synuclein (?-syn) within neural cell bodies and their processes. Transgenic mice overexpressing human wild-type or mutant forms of ?-syn under the control of different promoters were developed to analyse the underlying neuropathology of PD. One of the earliest clinical symptoms associated with PD is olfactory impairment. The generation of new neurons persists up to adulthood in mammals, in particular the olfactory bulb (OB). In order to assess this process in relation to ?-syn accumulation, we used mice overexpressing human wild-type ?-syn under the regulatable control (tet-off) of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II?-promoter (CaMKII). We observed a decrease in OB neurogenesis in transgenic animals compared to controls using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) to label newly generated cells (neuron-specific nuclear protein; NeuN). After cessation of transgene expression we detected an increase in newly generated cells both in granular (GCL) and glomerular (GLOM) layers of the OB. This led to a rescue of newly generated neurons (BrdU(+)/NeuN(+)) within the GLOM with a distinct specificity for the dopaminergic subpopulation. In contrast, we did not detect a cell-specific rescue of neuronal cells in the GCL suggesting diverse effects of alpha-synucleinopathy in both interneuronal layers of the OB. Colabelling of BrdU with glial markers showed that a differentiation into neither astroglia nor microglia attributed to the observed phenotype in the GCL. In particular, BrdU(+) particles located within microglial cells were predominantly associated close to the membrane therefore the resembling phagocytosed nuclear fragments of BrdU(+) cells. Thus, our study further contributes insights into ?-syn accumulation as a causative player in the impairment of adult neurogenesis and emphasizes its diverse role in cell renewal of distinct OB cell layers.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

May, V.E.L., Nuber, S., Marxreiter, F., Riess, O., Winner, B., & Winkler, J. (2012). Impaired olfactory bulb neurogenesis depends on the presence of human wild-type alpha-synuclein. Neuroscience, 222, 343-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.07.001

MLA:

May, Verena Elisabeth Luise, et al. "Impaired olfactory bulb neurogenesis depends on the presence of human wild-type alpha-synuclein." Neuroscience 222 (2012): 343-55.

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