Mesenchymal Stem Cells Inhibit Transmission of α-Synuclein by Modulating Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis in a Parkinsonian Model

• Main Authors: Se Hee Oh, Ha Na Kim, Hyun Jung Park, Jin Young Shin, Eun-Jin Bae, Mun Kyung Sunwoo, Seung-Jae Lee, Phil Hyu Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2016-02-01
• Series: Cell Reports
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124715015314

Ample evidence suggests that α-synuclein is released from cells and propagated from one area of the brain to others via cell-to-cell transmission. In terms of their prion-like behavior, α-synuclein propagation plays key roles in the pathogenesis and progression of α-synucleinopathies. Using α-synuclein-enriched models, we show that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) inhibited α-synuclein transmission by blocking the clathrin-mediated endocytosis of extracellular α-synuclein via modulation of the interaction with N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, which led to a prosurvival effect on cortical and dopaminergic neurons with functional improvement of motor deficits in α-synuclein-enriched models. Furthermore, we identify that galectin-1, a soluble factor derived from MSCs, played an important role in the transmission control of aggregated α-synuclein in these models. The present data indicated that MSCs exert neuroprotective properties through inhibition of extracellular α-synuclein transmission, suggesting that the property of MSCs may act as a disease-modifying therapy in subjects with α-synucleinopathies.