中国神经再生研究(英文版) ›› 2024, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (5): 1150-1155.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.382259

• 原著:退行性病与再生 • 上一篇    下一篇

自噬相关蛋白Atg9调控果蝇帕金森病的进程

  

  • 出版日期:2024-05-15 发布日期:2023-11-01

The autophagy protein Atg9 functions in glia and contributes to parkinsonian symptoms in a Drosophila model of Parkinson’s disease

Shuanglong Yi1, 2, Linfang Wang1, 2, Margaret S. Ho1, Shiping Zhang1, *   

  1. 1School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China; 2College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
  • Online:2024-05-15 Published:2023-11-01
  • Contact: Shiping Zhang, PhD, zhangshp@shanghaitech.edu.cn.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Nos. 31871039 and 32170962 (to MSH).

摘要:

研究发现ATG9的分布异常与帕金森病密切相关,然而,ATG9在帕金森病中的确切作用,以及它是否在胶质细胞中发挥作用仍然未知。实验聚焦于胶质细胞Atg9的功能及致病机制研究,发现atg9在成年果蝇大脑胶质中高表达。通过免疫荧光染色和活细胞成像分析发现Atg9定位在胶质细胞的高尔基体、自噬体和溶酶体上,并与这些细胞器持续接触。RNA干扰(RNAi)敲降胶质细胞atg9的表达后,欧米茄体(Omegasome)和自噬体的数量减少,自噬底物的降解受到抑制,这表明与其他组织一样,胶质细胞Atg9调节自噬的早期步骤。重要的是,敲降胶质细胞atg9会诱发帕金森病相关症状,包括进行性多巴胺神经元损失和运动缺陷,以及胶质细胞活化。因此,该研究揭示了Atg9在胶质细胞中的自噬作用及其对帕金森病相关症状的调控作用,这些结果将为开发帕金森病的靶向治疗策略提供新的思路。

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5706-0931 (Shiping Zhang)

Abstract: Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor deficits, dopaminergic neuron loss, and brain accumulation of α-synuclein aggregates called Lewy bodies. Dysfunction in protein degradation pathways, such as autophagy, has been demonstrated in neurons as a critical mechanism for eliminating protein aggregates in Parkinson’s disease. However, it is less well understood how protein aggregates are eliminated in glia, the other cell type in the brain. In the present study, we show that autophagy-related gene 9 (Atg9), the only transmembrane protein in the autophagy machinery, is highly expressed in Drosophila glia from adult brain. Results from immunostaining and live cell imaging analysis reveal that a portion of Atg9 localizes to the trans-Golgi network, autophagosomes, and lysosomes in glia. Atg9 is persistently in contact with these organelles. Lacking glial atg9 reduces the number of omegasomes and autophagosomes, and impairs autophagic substrate degradation. This suggests that glial Atg9 participates in the early steps of autophagy, and hence the control of autophagic degradation. Importantly, loss of glial atg9 induces parkinsonian symptoms in Drosophila including progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons, locomotion deficits, and glial activation. Our findings identify a functional role of Atg9 in glial autophagy and establish a potential link between glial autophagy and Parkinson’s disease. These results may provide new insights on the underlying mechanism of Parkinson’s disease.

Key words: Atg9, autophagy, glia, Parkinson’s disease