Fiber deprivation and microbiome-borne curli shift gut bacterial populations and accelerate disease in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

ABSTRACT: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder characterized by motor dysfunction, dopaminergic neuron loss, and alpha-synuclein (αSyn) inclusions. Many PD risk factors are known, but those affecting disease progression are not. Lifestyle and microbial dysbiosis are candidates in this context. Diet-driven gut dysbiosis and reduced barrier function may increase exposure of enteric neurons to toxins. Here, we study whether fiber deprivation and exposure to bacterial curli, a protein cross-seeding with αSyn, individually or together, exacerbate disease in the enteric and central nervous systems of a transgenic PD mouse model. We analyze the gut microbiome, motor behavior, and gastrointestinal and brain pathologies. We find that diet and bacterial curli alter the microbiome and exacerbate

SUBMITTER: Schmit KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10548091 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature