RESUMEN
The aggregation of α-synuclein (aSyn) leading to the formation of Lewy bodies is the defining pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD). Rare familial PD-associated mutations in aSyn render it aggregation-prone; however, PD patients carrying wild type (WT) aSyn also have aggregated aSyn in Lewy bodies. The mechanisms by which WT aSyn aggregates are unclear. Here, we report that inflammation can play a role in causing the aggregation of WT aSyn. We show that activation of the inflammasome with known stimuli results in the aggregation of aSyn in a neuronal cell model of PD. The insoluble aggregates are enriched with truncated aSyn as found in Lewy bodies of the PD brain. Inhibition of the inflammasome enzyme caspase-1 by chemical inhibition or genetic knockdown with shRNA abated aSyn truncation. In vitro characterization confirmed that caspase-1 directly cleaves aSyn, generating a highly aggregation-prone species. The truncation-induced aggregation of aSyn is toxic to neuronal culture, and inhibition of caspase-1 by shRNA or a specific chemical inhibitor improved the survival of a neuronal PD cell model. This study provides a molecular link for the role of inflammation in aSyn aggregation, and perhaps in the pathogenesis of sporadic PD as well.
Asunto(s)
Caspasa 1/genética , Inflamasomas/metabolismo , Cuerpos de Lewy/metabolismo , Neuronas/metabolismo , Agregado de Proteínas/genética , alfa-Sinucleína/genética , Compuestos de Alumbre/farmacología , Caspasa 1/metabolismo , Línea Celular Tumoral , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Dipéptidos/farmacología , Regulación de la Expresión Génica , Humanos , Interleucina-1beta/genética , Interleucina-1beta/metabolismo , Cuerpos de Lewy/efectos de los fármacos , Cuerpos de Lewy/patología , Lipopolisacáridos/farmacología , Neuronas/efectos de los fármacos , Neuronas/patología , Nigericina/farmacología , ARN Interferente Pequeño/genética , ARN Interferente Pequeño/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal , Vitamina K 3/farmacología , alfa-Sinucleína/química , alfa-Sinucleína/metabolismo , para-Aminobenzoatos/farmacologíaRESUMEN
A heterologously expressed form of the human Parkinson disease-associated protein α-synuclein with a 10-residue N-terminal extension is shown to form a stable tetramer in the absence of lipid bilayers or micelles. Sequential NMR assignments, intramonomer nuclear Overhauser effects, and circular dichroism spectra are consistent with transient formation of α-helices in the first 100 N-terminal residues of the 140-residue α-synuclein sequence. Total phosphorus analysis indicates that phospholipids are not associated with the tetramer as isolated, and chemical cross-linking experiments confirm that the tetramer is the highest-order oligomer present at NMR sample concentrations. Image reconstruction from electron micrographs indicates that a symmetric oligomer is present, with three- or fourfold symmetry. Thermal unfolding experiments indicate that a hydrophobic core is present in the tetramer. A dynamic model for the tetramer structure is proposed, based on expected close association of the amphipathic central helices observed in the previously described micelle-associated "hairpin" structure of α-synuclein.