α-Synucleinopathy and selective dopaminergic neuron loss in a rat lentiviral-based model of Parkinson's disease

摘要

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the progressive loss of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons and the presence of cyto- plasmic inclusions named Lewy bodies. Two missense mutations of the α-synuclein (α-syn; A30P and A53T) have been described in several families with an autosomal dominant form of PD. α-Syn also constitutes one of the main components of Lewy bodies in sporadic cases of PD. To develop an animal model of PD, lentiviral vectors expressing different human or rat forms of α-syn were injected into the substantia nigra of rats.