Accumulation of ␣-synuclein (␣-syn) in the brain is a core feature of Parkinson disease (PD) and leads to microglial activation, production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, T-cell infiltration, and neurodegeneration. Here, we have used both an in vivo mouse model induced by viral overexpression of ␣-syn as well as in vitro systems to study the role of the MHCII complex in ␣-syn-induced neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. We find that in vivo, expression of full-length human ␣-syn causes striking induction of MHCII expression by microglia, while knock-out of MHCII prevents ␣-syn-induced microglial activation, antigen presentation, IgG deposition, and the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. In vitro, treatment of microglia with aggregated ␣-syn leads to activation of antigen processing and presentation of antigen sufficient to drive CD4 T-cell proliferation and to trigger cytokine release. These results indicate a central role for microglial MHCII in the activation of both the innate and adaptive immune responses to ␣-syn in PD and suggest that the MHCII signaling complex may be a target of neuroprotective therapies for the disease.

Microglial activation and adaptive immunity have been implicated in the neurodegenerative processes in Parkinson disease. It has been proposed that these responses may be triggered by modified forms of α-synuclein (αSYN), particularly nitrated species, which are released as a consequence of dopaminergic neurodegeneration. To examine the relationship between αSYN, microglial activation and adaptive immunity, we used a mouse model of Parkinson disease in which human αSYN is overexpressed by a recombinant adeno-associated virus vector (AAV2-SYN); this overexpression leads to slow degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Microglial activation and components of the adaptive immune response were assessed using immunohistochemistry; quantitative PCR was used to examine cytokine expression. Four weeks after injection, there was a marked increase in CD68-positive microglia and greater infiltration of B and T lymphocytes in the SN of the AAV2-SYN group than in controls. At 12 weeks, CD68 staining declined but B and T cell infiltration persisted. Expression of proinflammatory cytokines was enhanced whereas markers of alternative activation, (i.e. Arginase I and interleukins-4 and -13), were not altered. Increased immunoreactivity for mouse immunoglobulin was detected at all time points in the AAV2-SYN animals. These data show that overexpression of α-SYN alone, in the absence of overt neurodegeneration, is sufficient to trigger neuroinflammation with both microglial activation and stimulation of adaptive immunity.

There is a clinical need for new, more effective treatments for chronic wounds in diabetic patients. Lack of epithelial cell migration is a hallmark of nonhealing wounds, and diabetes often involves endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, targeting re-epithelialization, which mainly involves keratinocytes, may improve therapeutic outcomes of current treatments. In this study, we present an integrin-binding prosurvival peptide derived from angiopoietin-1, QHREDGS (glutamine-histidine-arginine-glutamic acid-aspartic acid-glycine-serine), as a therapeutic candidate for diabetic wound treatments by demonstrating its efficacy in promoting the attachment, survival, and collective migration of human primary keratinocytes and the activation of protein kinase B Akt and MAPK p42/44 . The QHREDGS peptide, both as a soluble supplement and when immobilized in a substrate, protected keratinocytes against hydrogen peroxide stress in a dose-dependent manner. Collective migration of both normal and diabetic human keratinocytes was promoted on chitosan-collagen films with the immobilized QHREDGS peptide. The clinical relevance was demonstrated further by assessing the chitosan-collagen hydrogel with immobilized QHREDGS in full-thickness excisional wounds in a db/db diabetic mouse model; QHREDGS showed significantly accelerated and enhanced wound closure compared with a clinically approved collagen wound dressing, peptide-free hydrogel, or blank wound controls. The accelerated wound closure resulted primarily from faster re-epithelialization and increased formation of granulation tissue. There were no observable differences in blood vessel density or size within the wound; however, the total number of blood vessels was greater in the peptide-hydrogeltreated wounds. Together, these findings indicate that QHREDGS is a promising candidate for wound-healing interventions that enhance reepithelialization and the formation of granulation tissue.

BackgroundThe protein alpha-synuclein (α-SYN), which is found in the Lewy bodies of dopamine-producing (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), has an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Previous studies have shown that neuroinflammation plays a key role in PD pathogenesis. In an AAV-synuclein mouse model of PD, we have found that over-abundance of α-SYN triggers the expression of NF-κB p65, and leads to microglial activation and DA neurodegeneration. We also have observed that Fcγ receptors (FcγR), proteins present on the surface of microglia that bind immunoglobulin G (IgG) and other ligands, are key modulators of α-SYN-induced neurodegeneration.MethodsIn order to study the role of FcγRs in the interactions of α-SYN and microglia, we treated the primary microglial cultures from wild-type (WT) and FcγR−/− mice with aggregated human α-SYN in vitro.ResultsUsing immunocytochemistry, we found that α-SYN was taken up by both WT and FcγR−/− microglia, however, their patterns of internalization were different, with aggregation in autophagosomes in WT cells and more diffuse localization in FcγR−/− microglia. In WT microglia, α-SYN induced the nuclear accumulation of NF-κB p65 protein and downstream chemokine expression while in FcγR−/− mouse microglia, α-SYN failed to trigger the enhancement of nuclear NF-κB p65, and the pro-inflammatory signaling was reduced.ConclusionsOur results suggest that α-SYN can interact directly with microglia and can be internalized and trafficked to autophagosomes. FcγRs mediate this interaction, and in the absence of the gamma chain, there is altered intracellular trafficking and attenuation of pro-inflammatory NF-κB signaling. Therefore, blocking either FcγR signaling or downstream NF-κB activation may be viable therapeutic strategies in PD.

Overexpression of alpha-synuclein (α-SYN), a protein which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), triggers microglial activation and adaptive immune responses, and leads to neurodegeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons. We hypothesized a link between the humoral adaptive immune response and microglial activation in α-SYN induced neurodegeneration. To test this hypothesis, we employed adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) to selectively over-express human α-SYN in the substantia nigra (SN) of wild-type mice and FcγR-/- mice, which lack high-affinity receptors for IgG. We found that in wild-type mice, α-SYN induced the expression of NF-κB p65 and pro-inflammatory molecules. In FcγR-/- mice, NF-κB activation was blocked and pro-inflammatory signaling was reduced. Microglial activation was examined using immunohistochemistry for gp91PHOX. At four weeks, microglia were strongly activated in wild-type mice, while microglial activation was attenuated in FcγR-/- mice. Dopaminergic neurodegeneration was examined using immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and unbiased stereology. α-SYN overexpression led to the appearance of dysmorphic neurites, and a loss of DA neurons in the SN in wild-type animals, while FcγR-/- mice did not exhibit neuritic change and were protected from α-SYN-induced neurodegeneration 24 weeks after injection. Our results suggest that the humoral adaptive immune response triggered by excess α-SYN plays a causative role in microglial activation through IgG-FcγR interaction. This involves NF-κB signaling, and leads to DA neurodegeneration. Therefore, blocking either FcγR signaling or specific intracellular signal transduction events downstream of FcγR-IgG interaction, such as NF-κB activation, may be viable therapeutic strategies in PD.