α-Synuclein Overexpression Increases Dopamine D2/3 Receptor Binding and Immune Activation in a Model of Early Parkinson's Disease.

ABSTRACT: Progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, immune activation, and α-synuclein pathology characterize Parkinson's disease (PD). We previously reported that unilateral intranigral injection of recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors encoding wild-type human α-synuclein produced a rat model of early PD with dopamine terminal dysfunction. Here we tested the hypothesis that decreases in dopamine result in increased postsynaptic dopamine D2/D3 receptor expression, neuroinflammation, and reduced synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) density. Rats were injected with rAAV encoding α-synuclein or green fluorescent protein and subjected to non-pharmacological motor tests, before euthanization at 12 weeks post-injection. We performed: (1) in situ hybridization of nigral tyrosine hyd

SUBMITTER: Stokholm K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8698691 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature