Pathological alpha-syn aggregation is mediated by glycosphingolipid chain length and the physiological state of alpha-syn in vivo

Fredriksen K, Aivazidis S, Sharma K, Burbidge KJ, Pitcairn C, Zunke F, Gelyana E, Mazzulli JR (2021)


Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2021

Journal

Book Volume: 118

Journal Issue: 50

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2108489118

Abstract

GBA1 mutations that encode lysosomal beta-glucocerebrosidase (GCase) cause the lysosomal storage disorder Gaucher disease (GD) and are strong risk factors for synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia. Only a subset of subjects with GBA1 mutations exhibit neurodegeneration, and the factors that influence neurological phenotypes are unknown. We find that alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) neuropathology induced by GCase depletion depends on neuronal maturity, the physiological state of alpha-syn, and specific accumulation of long-chain glycosphingolipid (GSL) GCase substrates. Reduced GCase activity does not initiate alpha-syn aggregation in neonatal mice or immature human midbrain cultures; however, adult mice or mature midbrain cultures that express physiological alpha-syn oligomers are aggregation prone. Accumulation of long-chain GSLs (>= C22), but not short-chain species, induced alpha-syn pathology and neurological dysfunction. Selective reduction of long-chain GSLs ameliorated alpha-syn pathology through lysosomal cathepsins. We identify specific requirements that dictate synuclein pathology in GD models, providing possible explanations for the phenotypic variability in subjects with GCase deficiency.

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APA:

Fredriksen, K., Aivazidis, S., Sharma, K., Burbidge, K.J., Pitcairn, C., Zunke, F.,... Mazzulli, J.R. (2021). Pathological alpha-syn aggregation is mediated by glycosphingolipid chain length and the physiological state of alpha-syn in vivo. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(50). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2108489118

MLA:

Fredriksen, Kristina, et al. "Pathological alpha-syn aggregation is mediated by glycosphingolipid chain length and the physiological state of alpha-syn in vivo." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 118.50 (2021).

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