Alpha-synuclein Alters the Faecal Viromes of Rats in a Gut-initiated Model of Parkinson's Disease

Overview

Journal Commun Biol

Specialty Biology

Date 2021 Sep 30

PMID 34588600

Citations 5

Authors

Stephen R Stockdale

Lorraine A Draper

Sarah M ODonovan

Wiley Barton

Orla OSullivan

Laura A Volpicelli-Daley

Aideen M Sullivan

Cora ONeill

Colin Hill

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurological disorder associated with the misfolding of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) into aggregates within nerve cells that contribute to their neurodegeneration. Recent evidence suggests α-syn aggregation may begin in the gut and travel to the brain along the vagus nerve, with microbes potentially a trigger initiating α-syn misfolding. However, the effects α-syn alterations on the gut virome have not been investigated. In this study, we show longitudinal faecal virome changes in rats administered either monomeric or preformed fibrils (PFF) of α-syn directly into their enteric nervous system. Differential changes in rat viromes were observed when comparing monomeric and PFF α-syn, with alterations compounded by the addition of LPS. Changes in rat faecal viromes were observed after one month and did not resolve within the study's five-month observational period. These results suggest that virome alterations may be reactive to host α-syn changes that are associated with PD development.

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