By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
A team of multinational researchers added detail to the complicated picture of how Parkinson's and other neurological diseases spread in the brain, which they claim could open new opportunities for treatment and drug development.
In their study published by peer-review journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the scientists at South Korea's Konkuk University and the U.S. University of California described how the neuron-to-neuron transmission of the protein alpha-synuclein results in the formation of aggregates called Lewy bodies in the brain.
The accumulation of alpha-synuclein and Lewy body formation are characteristics of many neurological diseases, including Parkinson's, and this pathology appears to spread throughout the brain as the condition progresses.
Konkuk University's Lee Seung-jae said that the study was the first to show the cell-to-cell transmission of alpha synuclein. By identifying the underlying mechanism of Lewy pathology, the study could provide crucial insight into to the progress of Parkinson's and other diseases, and lead to new clues in treatment and drug development, Lee said.
"Our study basically shows that Parkinson's and other neurological diseases progress in a similar way prion diseases, such as mad cow disease, spread in the brain of the infected. The alpha-synuclein aggregates are picked up by neighboring, healthy cells and this allows the Lew bodies to spread in the brain," Lee said.
"The findings may help develop methods to prevent the cell-to-cell transfer of alpha-synuclein aggregates, which would significantly improve the effectiveness of treatments. The possibility in stem cell therapies could be significant."
In their experiment, researchers co-cultured neural precursor cells with neuronal cells expressing alpha-synuclein. After 24 to 48 hours, aggregated alpha-synuclein was found in the precursor cells, which confirmed cell-to-cell transmission.
The team also found that the protein is transmitted via endocytosis, a process by which cells absorb protein and other molecules by engulfing them with their cell membrane. And the failure of the protein quality-control systems of the cells, such as the activity of the lysosomes particles, contributes to the accumulation of alpha-synuclein in recipient cells.