| First Author | Zhang J | Year | 2020 |
| Journal | Neurobiol Aging | Volume | 85 |
| Pages | 49-57 | PubMed ID | 31734439 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:285592 | Mgi Id | MGI:6391924 |
| Doi | 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.09.012 | Citation | Zhang J, et al. (2020) Apoptosis signal regulating kinase 1 deletion mitigates alpha-synuclein pre-formed fibril propagation in mice. Neurobiol Aging 85:49-57 |
| abstractText | alpha-Synuclein (alpha-Syn) is a key pathogenic protein in alpha-synucleinopathies including Parkinson disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. Accumulating evidence has shown that misfolded fibrillar alpha-Syn is transmitted from cell-to-cell, a phenomenon that correlates with clinical progression of the disease. We previously showed that deleting the MAP3 kinase apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1), which is a central player linking oxidative stress with neuroinflammation, mitigates the phenotype of alpha-Syn transgenic mice. However, whether ASK1 impacts pathology and disease progression induced by recombinant alpha-Syn pre-formed fibrils (PFF) remains unknown. Here, we compared the neuropathological and behavioral phenotype of ASK1 knock-out mice with that of wild-type mice following intrastriatal injections of alpha-Syn PFF. At 6 months post-injections, ASK1 null mice exhibited reduced amount of phosphorylated alpha-Syn aggregates in the striatum and cortex, and less pronounced degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway. Additionally, the neuroinflammatory reaction to alpha-Syn PFF injection and propagation seen in wild-type mice was attenuated in ASK1 knock-out animals. These neuropathological markers were associated with better behavioral performance. These data suggest that ASK1 plays an important role in pathological alpha-Syn fibril transmission and, consequently, may impact disease progression. These findings collectively support inhibiting ASK1 as a disease modifying therapeutic strategy for Parkinson disease and related alpha-synucleinopathies. |
