| 1. |
- Elfarrash, Sara, et al.
(author)
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Organotypic slice culture model demonstrates inter-neuronal spreading of alpha-synuclein aggregates
- 2019
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In: Acta Neuropathologica Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2051-5960. ; 7:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Here we describe the use of an organotypic hippocampal slice model for studying α-synuclein aggregation and inter-neuronal spreading initiated by microinjection of pre-formed α-synuclein fibrils (PFFs). PFF injection at dentate gyrus (DG) templates the formation of endogenous α-synuclein aggregates in axons and cell bodies of this region that spread to CA3 and CA1 regions. Aggregates are insoluble and phosphorylated at serine-129, recapitulating Lewy pathology features found in Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies. The model was found to favor anterograde spreading of the aggregates. Furthermore, it allowed development of slices expressing only serine-129 phosphorylation-deficient human α-synuclein (S129G) using an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector in α-synuclein knockout slices. The processes of aggregation and spreading of α-synuclein were thereby shown to be independent of phosphorylation at serine-129. We provide methods and highlight crucial steps for PFF microinjection and characterization of aggregate formation and spreading. Slices derived from genetically engineered mice or manipulated using viral vectors allow testing of hypotheses on mechanisms involved in the formation of α-synuclein aggregates and their prion-like spreading.
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| 2. |
- Ferreira, Nelson, et al.
(author)
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Trans-synaptic spreading of alpha-synuclein pathology through sensory afferents leads to sensory nerve degeneration and neuropathic pain
- 2021
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In: Acta neuropathologica communications. - : BMC. - 2051-5960. ; 9:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pain is a common non-motor symptom of Parkinsons disease (PD), with current limited knowledge of its pathophysiology. Here, we show that peripheral inoculation of mouse alpha-synuclein (alpha-Syn) pre-formed fibrils, in a transgenic mouse model of PD, elicited retrograde trans-synaptic spreading of alpha-Syn pathology (pSer129) across sensory neurons and dorsal nerve roots, reaching central pain processing regions, including the spinal dorsal horn and the projections of the anterolateral system in the central nervous system (CNS). Pathological peripheral to CNS propagation of alpha-Syn aggregates along interconnected neuronal populations within sensory afferents, was concomitant with impaired nociceptive response, reflected by mechanical allodynia, reduced nerve conduction velocities (sensory and motor) and degeneration of small- and medium-sized myelinated fibers. Our findings show a link between the transneuronal propagation of alpha-Syn pathology with sensory neuron dysfunction and neuropathic impairment, suggesting promising avenues of investigation into the mechanisms underlying pain in PD.
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| 3. |
- Allentoft, Morten E., et al.
(author)
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100 ancient genomes show repeated population turnovers in Neolithic Denmark
- 2024
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In: Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 625, s. 329-337
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Major migration events in Holocene Eurasia have been characterized genetically at broad regional scales1–4. However, insights into the population dynamics in the contact zones are hampered by a lack of ancient genomic data sampled at high spatiotemporal resolution5–7. Here, to address this, we analysed shotgun-sequenced genomes from 100 skeletons spanning 7,300 years of the Mesolithic period, Neolithic period and Early Bronze Age in Denmark and integrated these with proxies for diet (13C and 15N content), mobility (87Sr/86Sr ratio) and vegetation cover (pollen). We observe that Danish Mesolithic individuals of the Maglemose, Kongemose and Ertebølle cultures form a distinct genetic cluster related to other Western European hunter-gatherers. Despite shifts in material culture they displayed genetic homogeneity from around 10,500 to 5,900 calibrated years before present, when Neolithic farmers with Anatolian-derived ancestry arrived. Although the Neolithic transition was delayed by more than a millennium relative to Central Europe, it was very abrupt and resulted in a population turnover with limited genetic contribution from local hunter-gatherers. The succeeding Neolithic population, associated with the Funnel Beaker culture, persisted for only about 1,000 years before immigrants with eastern Steppe-derived ancestry arrived. This second and equally rapid population replacement gave rise to the Single Grave culture with an ancestry profile more similar to present-day Danes. In our multiproxy dataset, these major demographic events are manifested as parallel shifts in genotype, phenotype, diet and land use.
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| 4. |
- Allentoft, Morten E., et al.
(author)
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Population genomics of post-glacial western Eurasia
- 2024
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In: Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 625:7994, s. 301-311
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Western Eurasia witnessed several large-scale human migrations during the Holocene1–5. Here, to investigate the cross-continental effects of these migrations, we shotgun-sequenced 317 genomes—mainly from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods—from across northern and western Eurasia. These were imputed alongside published data to obtain diploid genotypes from more than 1,600 ancient humans. Our analyses revealed a ‘great divide’ genomic boundary extending from the Black Sea to the Baltic. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were highly genetically differentiated east and west of this zone, and the effect of the neolithization was equally disparate. Large-scale ancestry shifts occurred in the west as farming was introduced, including near-total replacement of hunter-gatherers in many areas, whereas no substantial ancestry shifts happened east of the zone during the same period. Similarly, relatedness decreased in the west from the Neolithic transition onwards, whereas, east of the Urals, relatedness remained high until around 4,000 bp, consistent with the persistence of localized groups of hunter-gatherers. The boundary dissolved when Yamnaya-related ancestry spread across western Eurasia around 5,000 bp, resulting in a second major turnover that reached most parts of Europe within a 1,000-year span. The genetic origin and fate of the Yamnaya have remained elusive, but we show that hunter-gatherers from the Middle Don region contributed ancestry to them. Yamnaya groups later admixed with individuals associated with the Globular Amphora culture before expanding into Europe. Similar turnovers occurred in western Siberia, where we report new genomic data from a ‘Neolithic steppe’ cline spanning the Siberian forest steppe to Lake Baikal. These prehistoric migrations had profound and lasting effects on the genetic diversity of Eurasian populations.
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| 5. |
- Just, Mie Kristine, et al.
(author)
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Alpha-Synuclein Strain Variability in Body-First and Brain-First Synucleinopathies
- 2022
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In: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 1663-4365. ; 14
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pathogenic alpha-synuclein (asyn) aggregates are a defining feature of neurodegenerative synucleinopathies, which include Parkinsons disease, Lewy body dementia, pure autonomic failure and multiple system atrophy. Early accurate differentiation between these synucleinopathies is challenging due to the highly heterogeneous clinical profile at early prodromal disease stages. Therefore, diagnosis is often made in late disease stages when a patient presents with a broad range of motor and non-motor symptoms easing the differentiation. Increasing data suggest the clinical heterogeneity seen in patients is explained by the presence of distinct asyn strains, which exhibit variable morphologies and pathological functions. Recently, asyn seed amplification assays (PMCA and RT-QuIC) and conformation-specific ligand assays have made promising progress in differentiating between synucleinopathies in prodromal and advanced disease stages. Importantly, the cellular environment is known to impact strain morphology. And, asyn aggregate pathology can propagate trans-synaptically along the brain-body axis, affecting multiple organs and propagating through multiple cell types. Here, we present our hypothesis that the changing cellular environments, an asyn seed may encounter during its brain-to-body or body-to-brain propagation, may influence the structure and thereby the function of the aggregate strains developing within the different cells. Additionally, we aim to review strain characteristics of the different synucleinopathies in clinical and preclinical studies. Future preclinical animal models of synucleinopathies should investigate if asyn strain morphology is altered during brain-to-body and body-to-brain spreading using these seeding amplification and conformation-specific assays. Such findings would greatly deepen our understanding of synucleinopathies and the potential link between strain and phenotypic variability, which may enable specific diagnosis of different synucleinopathies in the prodromal phase, creating a large therapeutic window with potential future applications in clinical trials and personalized therapeutics.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Näsström, Thomas
(author)
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Characterization of α-synuclein oligomers : Implications for Lewy Body Disorders
- 2011
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy are disorders featuring accumulation of Lewy bodies in brain. The main component of these large insoluble intracellular inclusions is the presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein (α-synuclein). It is generally believed that α-synuclein monomers adopt an abnormal conformation that favors the formation of soluble oligomers or protofibrils and, eventually, insoluble fibrils depositing as Lewy bodies. Notably, the intermediately sized oligomers/protofibrils seem to have particular neurotoxic effects. Several factors may influence the formation of α-synuclein oligomers/protofibrils, e.g. the reactive aldehydes 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) and 4-oxo-2-nonenal (ONE) formed during oxidative stress. The overall aims of this thesis were to investigate biophysical and biochemical properties of in vitro generated α-synuclein oligomers, characterize their functional effects on cell and animal disease models as well as to explore whether their formation could be prevented in a cell culture model for oligomerization. Here, it was found that α-synuclein rapidly formed oligomers after incubation with both ONE and HNE. The resulting oligomers were stable and did not continue to form insoluble fibrils. By comparing HNE- and ONE induced α-synuclein oligomers biochemically they were both found to exhibit extensive β-beta sheet structure and had a molecular size of ~2000 kDa. However, they differed in morphology; the ONE induced α-synuclein oligomers described round amorphous species whereas the HNE induced α-synuclein oligomers appeared as elongated protofibril-like structures. Both these oligomers were cell internalized to varying degrees and induced toxicity in neuroblastoma cells. In addition, the ONE induced α-synuclein oligomers seemed to initiate aggregation of monomeric α-synuclein in vitro, but failed to do so in vivo. Finally, treatment of α-synuclein overexpressing cells with monoclonal antibodies specific for α-synuclein significantly reduced aggregation and lowered levels of the protein, suggesting increased turnover in these cells. To conclude, this thesis has characterized different oligomeric α-synuclein species, which may have properties similar to soluble species central to the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease and other disorders with α-synuclein pathology. For therapeutic strategies it is important to selectively target such harmful protein species and avoid interaction with other forms of α-synuclein, which may have vital physiological cellular functions.
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| 8. |
- Reimer, Lasse, et al.
(author)
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Low dose DMSO treatment induces oligomerization and accelerates aggregation of α-synuclein
- 2022
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a highly utilized small molecule that serves many purposes in scientific research. DMSO offers unique polar, aprotic and amphiphilic features, which makes it an ideal solvent for a wide variety of both polar and nonpolar molecules. Furthermore, DMSO is often used as a cryoprotectant in cell-based research. However, recent reports suggest that DMSO, even at low concentration, might interfere with important cellular processes, and cause macromolecular changes to proteins where a shift from α-helical to β-sheet structure can be observed. To investigate how DMSO might influence current research, we assessed biochemical and cellular impacts of DMSO treatment on the structure of the aggregation-prone protein α-synuclein, which plays a central role in the etiology of Parkinson’s disease, and other brain-related disorders, collectively termed the synucleinopathies. Here, we found that addition of DMSO increased the particle-size of α-synuclein, and accelerated the formation of seeding-potent fibrils in a dose-dependent manner. These fibrils made in the presence of DMSO were indistinguishable from fibrils made in pure PBS, when assessed by proteolytic digestion, cytotoxic profile and their ability to seed cellular aggregation of α-synuclein. Moreover, as evident through binding to the MJFR-14-6-4-2 antibody, which preferentially recognizes aggregated forms of α-synuclein, and a bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay, cells exposed to DMSO experienced increased aggregation of α-synuclein. However, no observable α-synuclein abnormalities nor differences in neuronal survival were detected after oral DMSO-treatment in either C57BL/6- or α-synuclein transgenic F28 mice. In summary, we demonstrate that low concentrations of DMSO makes α-synuclein susceptible to undergo aggregation both in vitro and in cells. This may affect experimental outcomes when studying α-synuclein in the presence of DMSO, and should call for careful consideration when such experiments are planned.
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| 9. |
- Reimer, Lasse, et al.
(author)
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PKR kinase directly regulates tau expression and Alzheimer's disease-related tau phosphorylation
- 2021
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In: Brain Pathology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639. ; 31:1, s. 103-119
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Deposition of extensively hyperphosphorylated tau in specific brain cells is a clear pathological hallmark in Alzheimer's disease and a number of other neurodegenerative disorders, collectively termed the tauopathies. Furthermore, hyperphosphorylation of tau prevents it from fulfilling its physiological role as a microtubule-stabilizing protein and leaves it increasingly vulnerable to self-assembly, suggestive of a central underlying role of hyperphosphorylation as a contributing factor in the etiology of these diseases. Viain vitrophosphorylation and regulation of kinase activity within cells and acute brain tissue, we reveal that the inflammation associated kinase, protein kinase R (PKR), directly phosphorylates numerous abnormal and disease-modifying residues within tau including Thr181, Ser199/202, Thr231, Ser262, Ser396, Ser404 and Ser409. Similar to disease processes, these PKR-mediated phosphorylations actively displace tau from microtubules in cells. In addition, PKR overexpression and knockdown, respectively, increase and decrease tau protein and mRNA levels in cells. This regulation occurs independent of noncoding transcriptional elements, suggesting an underlying mechanism involving intra-exonic regulation of the tau-encoding microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene. Finally, acute encephalopathy in wild type mice, induced by intracranial Langat virus infection, results in robust inflammation and PKR upregulation accompanied by abnormally phosphorylated full-length- and truncated tau. These findings indicate that PKR, independent of other kinases and upon acute brain inflammation, is capable of triggering pathological modulation of tau, which, in turn, might form the initial pathologic seed in several tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease and Chronic traumatic encephalopathy where inflammation is severe.
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| 10. |
- Sackmann, Christopher, 1988-
(author)
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Investigation of the intercellular transmission of α-synuclein, amyloid-β and TDP-43
- 2019
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are disorders characterized by the progressive deposition of proteinaceous inclusions throughout the brain in a predictable manner. Each disease is described by the involvement of different misfolded and aggregated proteins (AD, amyloid-β and tau; PD, α-synuclein; ALS and FTLD, TDP-43) that spread between anatomically connected brain regions, causing cell death in previously healthy regions. Disease progresses as these aggregated proteins spread throughout the brain in a prion-like fashion. Oligomeric forms of these proteins (aggregates comprising of ≈3-30 individual proteins) are thought to be the most relevant to disease, as they are capable of prion-like propagation and can cause cellular toxicity. The work in this thesis aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which different neurodegenerative disease related proteins (amyloid-β, α-synuclein and TDP-43) are taken up and transferred between cells, and the effects exerted by these proteins on downstream cells.Paper I examined the uptake and cell to cell transmission of oligomeric α-synuclein (α-syn). Using a 3D co-culture model, we determined that α-syn (monomeric, oligomeric and fibrillar assemblies) were readily taken up and transferred between neuron-like cells, and that this transfer was mediated by an endosomal/lysosomal mechanism. It was also determined that larger α-syn assemblies (oligomers and fibrils) were found in donor and acceptor cells more frequently than monomeric α-syn, which we speculate is a due to the larger aggregates’ resistance to cellular proteases.In Paper II, we identified a novel mechanism for the uptake of oligomeric proteins, in the discovery that the gap junction channel protein connexin 32 mediates the uptake of α-syn oligomers in a preferential manner. Gap junction proteins act as a means of communication between adjacent cells, forming a transmembrane pore to facilitate the passage of small molecules. Here, we determined that connexin 32 drives the preferential uptake of oligomeric α-syn relative to monomeric and fibrillar α-syn. This system was not exclusive to α-syn however, as the preferential uptake of oligomeric amyloid-β (Aβ) was also observed. In addition to the uptake of oligomers, we observed that increased α-syn expression elicited the increased expression of connexin 32, in a positive feedback mechanism. When connexin 32 was inhibited pharmacologically or knocked out using CRISPR/Cas9, the preferential uptake of oligomers was abolished. These phenomena were also observed in oligodendrocytes (the accumulation of oligomeric α-syn in oligodendrocytes is a hallmark of Multiple Systems Atrophy), three different mouse models of α-syn overexpression, as well as in post-mortem human tissues.Paper III undertook the investigation of cell to cell transfer of TDP-43. Although it was recently confirmed that TDP-43 propagates throughout the brain in a prion-like fashion, it remains unclear how post-translational modifications of TDP-43 affect its propensity to be transferred between cells. This leaves a gap in the understanding of how TDP-43 proteinopathies progress, as post-translationally modified TDP-43 is understood to be critical to pathogenesis. To study this, we generated several TDP-43 cell lines, expressing full-length TDP-43 or C-/N-terminally truncated fragments, known contributors to TDP-43 proteinopathies. Using the 3D co-culture model, we determined that preservation of the N-terminus of TDP-43 enhanced its ability to transmit between cells, whereas an intact the C-terminus reduced transfer. Additionally, since we have previously shown that both oligomeric Aβ and α-syn are incorporated into extracellular vesicles (EVs) such as exosomes, and that these EVs can sufficiently mediate the transfer of protein oligomers to downstream cells, we investigated whether this was also true for TDP-43. We demonstrated that full-length TDP-43 and TDP-43 fragments could be found within EVs generated by these cells, but that these EVs were unable to propagate the protein to downstream cells. Instead, the transmission of TDP-43 occurs in a manner dependent upon physical proximity between cells, possibly across the synaptic cleft itself.Next, we studied the acute effects exerted by oligomeric Aβ upon healthy neurons in order to understand the earliest effects of oligomeric Aβ challenge. In Paper IV, we used iPSC-derived neurons generated from human donors expressing different amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) genes, one harbouring the familial AD-causing V717I London mutation, the other expressing WT APP. After differentiating these cells into functional neurons in vitro, the neurons were challenged with acute exposure to exogenous oligomeric Aβ and analyzed by LC-MS/MS to observe the early effects. By analyzing the proteome and phosphoproteome of these cells, we identified many proteins and phosphoproteins that were up- or down-regulated in response to oligomeric Aβ at this early timepoint. Among these changes, oligomeric Aβ caused the downregulation of TDP-43, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins, and coatomer complex I proteins. Conversely, increases were observed in 20S proteasome subunits and vesicle associated proteins VAMP1/2. We also observed the differential phosphorylation of tau at serine 208, indicating that phosphorylation at this residue might be an important early event in tauopathy.Altogether, the work described in this thesis has provided new understanding as to how different neurodegenerative disease related proteins are taken up and transferred between cells. In doing so, we have identified some of the mechanisms by which this spreading occurs, and that the changes elicited by these toxic oligomeric proteins are rapid and widespread. By learning about these processes, we have identified novel targets that could be used in the development of disease modifying therapeutics.
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