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Limanaqi F, Zecchini S, Saulle I, Strizzi S, Vanetti C, Garziano M, Cappelletti G, Parolin D, Caccia S, Trabattoni D, Fenizia C, Clerici M, Biasin M. Alpha-synuclein dynamics bridge Type-I Interferon response and SARS-CoV-2 replication in peripheral cells. Biol Res 2024; 57:2. [PMID: 38191441 PMCID: PMC10775536 DOI: 10.1186/s40659-023-00482-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasing evidence suggests a double-faceted role of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) following infection by a variety of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Although α-syn accumulation is known to contribute to cell toxicity and the development and/or exacerbation of neuropathological manifestations, it is also a key to sustaining anti-viral innate immunity. Consistently with α-syn aggregation as a hallmark of Parkinson's disease, most studies investigating the biological function of α-syn focused on neural cells, while reports on the role of α-syn in periphery are limited, especially in SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS Results herein obtained by real time qPCR, immunofluorescence and western blot indicate that α-syn upregulation in peripheral cells occurs as a Type-I Interferon (IFN)-related response against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Noteworthy, this effect mostly involves α-syn multimers, and the dynamic α-syn multimer:monomer ratio. Administration of excess α-syn monomers promoted SARS-CoV-2 replication along with downregulation of IFN-Stimulated Genes (ISGs) in epithelial lung cells, which was associated with reduced α-syn multimers and α-syn multimer:monomer ratio. These effects were prevented by combined administration of IFN-β, which hindered virus replication and upregulated ISGs, meanwhile increasing both α-syn multimers and α-syn multimer:monomer ratio in the absence of cell toxicity. Finally, in endothelial cells displaying abortive SARS-CoV-2 replication, α-syn multimers, and multimer:monomer ratio were not reduced following exposure to the virus and exogenous α-syn, suggesting that only productive viral infection impairs α-syn multimerization and multimer:monomer equilibrium. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides novel insights into the biology of α-syn, showing that its dynamic conformations are implicated in the innate immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection in peripheral cells. In particular, our results suggest that promotion of non-toxic α-syn multimers likely occurs as a Type-I IFN-related biological response which partakes in the suppression of viral replication. Further studies are needed to replicate our findings in neuronal cells as well as animal models, and to ascertain the nature of such α-syn conformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Limanaqi
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy.
| | - Silvia Zecchini
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy
| | - Irma Saulle
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Via Francesco Sforza, Milan, Italy
| | - Sergio Strizzi
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Vanetti
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy
| | - Micaela Garziano
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Via Francesco Sforza, Milan, Italy
| | - Gioia Cappelletti
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy
| | - Debora Parolin
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy
| | - Sonia Caccia
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy
| | - Daria Trabattoni
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudio Fenizia
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Via Francesco Sforza, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Clerici
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Via Francesco Sforza, Milan, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, 20148, Milan, Italy
| | - Mara Biasin
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G.B. Grassi, Milan, Italy.
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Du T, Li G, Luo H, Pan Y, Xu Q, Ma K. Hippocampal alpha-synuclein mediates depressive-like behaviors. Brain Behav Immun 2021; 95:226-237. [PMID: 33775831 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) which encoded by SNCA plays a critical role in the neurotransmission, vesicle dynamics, and neuroplasticity. Alteration to SNCA expression is associated with major depressive disorder. However, the pathogenic mechanism of SNCA in depression remains unknown. Herein, we reported that SNCA was up-regulated in the peripheral blood of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients and the depressive mice. Chronic restraint stress (CRS) also up-regulated the SNCA expression in the hippocampus. Moreover, over-expression of SNCA in the hippocampus triggered spontaneous depressive-like behaviors under the non-stressed conditions in mice, and knockout of SNCA could reverse CRS-induced depressive-like behaviors. SNCA led to synapse loss and neuronal cell death in the hippocampus possibly via complement-mediated microglial engulfment and inflammation, and thus contributed to the pathogenesis of depressive disorder. Overall, hippocampal SNCA and complement system are involved in the pathogenesis of depressive disorder and it provides a new perspective for the occurrence of depressive disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingfu Du
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China; Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China.
| | - Guoxiang Li
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China.
| | - Haiyu Luo
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China.
| | - Yue Pan
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China.
| | - Qi Xu
- Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005 China.
| | - Kaili Ma
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China; Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China.
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