Neurodegeneration and contralateral α-synuclein induction after intracerebral α-synuclein injections in the anterior olfactory nucleus of a Parkinson’s disease A53T mouse model

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by a proteinopathy that includes aggregates of α-synuclein. A recent hypothesis proposes a prion-like spreading mechanism for this α-synucleinopathy. Early neuropathological deposits occur, among others, in the anterior olfactory nucleus (AON). This study investigates the anterograde and/or retrograde transmissibility of exogenous α-synuclein inoculated in the right AON of the A53T model of Parkinson’s disease and wild-type mice as well as neuronal and glial involvement. Seven experimental groups were established: wild-type injected with tracers; A53T mice injected with either α-synuclein or saline 2 months beforehand; wild-type injected with either α-synuclein or saline 2 months beforehand; and wild-type injected with either α-synuclein or saline 4 months beforehand. Weight and behavioral changes were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry against α-synuclein, NeuN, Iba-1 and GFAP was performed. Volume and marker distributions in the olfactory bulb (OB), AON and piriform cortex were analyzed using unbiased stereology. The behavioral analyses reveal higher levels of hyperactivity in transgenic as compared to wild-type mice. Tract-tracing experiments show that the main contralateral afferent projections to the dorsal AON come from the AON and secondarily from the OB. In saline-injected transgenic animals, α-synuclein expression in the OB and the AON is higher in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere, which could be due to basal interhemispheric differences. α-synuclein injection could provoke a significant increase in the left hemisphere of the transgenic mice’s OB, compared to saline-injected animals. Neuronal loss was observed in saline-injected transgenic mice relative to the saline-injected wild-type group. There were no overall differences in neuron number following injection of α-synuclein into either wild-type or transgenic mice, however some neuron loss was apparent in specific regions of α-synuclein injected wild-types. Microglia labeling appeared to be correlated with surgery-induced inflammation. Astroglial labeling was higher in transgenic animals, which could be due to endogenous α-synucleinopathy. This study suggests α-synucleinopathy induction, via retrograde and contralateral projections, within the olfactory system of transgenic animals. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s40478-019-0713-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.