A Role for Neuronal Alpha-Synuclein in Gastrointestinal Immunity.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Alpha-synuclein (αS) is a nerve cell protein associated with Parkinson disease (PD). Accumulation of αS within the enteric nervous system (ENS) and its traffic from the gut to the brain are implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of PD. αS has no known function in humans and the reason for its accumulation within the ENS is unknown. Several recent studies conducted in rodents have linked αS to immune cell activation in the central nervous system. We hypothesized that αS in the ENS might play a role in the innate immune defenses of the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Methods

We immunostained endoscopic biopsies for αS from children with documented gastric and duodenal inflammation and intestinal allograft recipients who contracted norovirus. To determine

SUBMITTER: Stolzenberg E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5865636 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature