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. 2020 Aug 24;15(8):e0238075. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238075

L444P Gba1 mutation increases formation and spread of α-synuclein deposits in mice injected with mouse α-synuclein pre-formed fibrils

Anna Migdalska‐Richards 1,2,*,#, Michal Wegrzynowicz 3,4,#, Ian F Harrison 5, Guglielmo Verona 6, Vittorio Bellotti 6, Maria Grazia Spillantini 3, Anthony H V Schapira 1,*
Editor: David R Borchelt7
PMCID: PMC7444808  PMID: 32833982

Abstract

Parkinson disease is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, estimated to affect one in twenty-five individuals over the age of 80. Mutations in glucocerebrosidase 1 (GBA1) represent the most common genetic risk factor for Parkinson disease. The link between GBA1 mutations and α-synuclein accumulation, a hallmark of Parkinson disease, is not fully understood. Following our recent finding that Gba1 mutations lead to increased α-synuclein accumulation in mice, we have studied the effects of a single injection of mouse α-synuclein pre-formed fibrils into the striatum of Gba1 mice that carry a L444P knock-in mutation. We found significantly greater formation and spread of α-synuclein inclusions in Gba1-transgenic mice compared to wild-type controls. This indicates that the Gba1 L444P mutation accelerates α-synuclein pathology and spread.

Introduction

Parkinson disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, estimated to affect 4% of individuals over 80 years of age [1]. The most common risk factor for PD are mutations in the glucocerebrosidase 1 (GBA1) gene, which encodes an enzyme (GCase) that is involved in glycolipid metabolism. It has been estimated that at least 7–10% of non-Ashkenazi PD individuals have a GBA1 mutation (PD-GBA1) [2]. Although the molecular mechanisms by which GBA1 mutations increase PD risk are still unclear, it is likely that α-synuclein accumulation plays an important role.

The link between GCase deficiency, α-synuclein accumulation and neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra has recently been explored in a heterozygous Gba1 mouse model carrying a L444P knock-in mutation (L444P/+ mice) [3]. A significant decrease in GCase activity was associated with increased α-synuclein accumulation, but with no other PD pathology [3]. Intriguingly, overexpression of human α-synuclein in the substantia nigra resulted in significantly greater loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons in L444P/+ mice than in their wild-type littermates [3]. These results indicate that the Gba1 L444P mutation alone is not sufficient to induce overall PD pathology but requires an additional factor such as overexpression of α-synuclein. This may contribute to the partial penetrance of GBA1 mutations causing PD; it is estimated that only 30% of individuals with GBA1 mutations will develop PD by the age of 80 [2].

The mechanism of accumulation of misfolded fibrillar α-synuclein into inclusions (known as Lewy bodies (LB) and Lewy neurites (LN)) is not completely clear [4, 5]. Emerging evidence shows that misfolded fibrillar α-synuclein is capable of self-propagation and spreading (leading to subsequent accumulation) between interconnected regions of the brain, suggesting that cell-to-cell transmission of pathological forms of α-synuclein plays a crucial role in PD pathogenesis [4]. The presence of even low levels of aggregated or fibrillar α-synuclein (seeds) greatly enhances α-synuclein polymerization into amyloid fibrils [5]. Synthetic α-synuclein pre-formed fibrils (αSYN-PFFs), i.e. laboratory-generated seeds, have been shown to initiate fibrillization and aggregation of soluble endogenous α-synuclein in primary neuronal cultures derived from wild-type mice [6]. More importantly, a single intracerebral injection of αSYN-PFFs greatly accelerates the onset of neuropathological symptoms in transgenic mice expressing the human α-synuclein A53T mutation [5]. Further, a single intrastriatal injection of αSYN-PFFs is capable of initiating α-synuclein spreading and accumulation in wild-type mice, leading to the development of PD-like α-synuclein pathology in the anatomically-interconnected brain regions, further confirming the contribution of cell-to-cell transmission in α-synuclein pathology [4].

The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of mouse-αSYN-PFF injection into the striatum of L444P/+ mice. Four months post-injection, we observed significantly increased formation and spread of α-synuclein deposits in L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type littermates, indicating that the L444P mutation enhances aggregation of endogenous α-synuclein into pathological deposits.

Materials and methods

Mice

B6;129S4-Gbatm1Rlp/Mmnc (000117-UNC) mice expressing a heterozygous knock-in L444P mutation in the murine Gba1 gene (L444P/+ mice) were compared to their wild-type littermates [3, 7]. Only male animals were used in the study. Mice were treated in accordance with local ethical committee guidelines and the UK Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. All procedures were carried out in accordance with Home Office guidelines (UK) and in compliance with the ARRIVE guidelines. Breeding, maintenance and all the experimental procedures concerning both L444P/+ mice and their wild-type littermates were covered by the project licence 70/7685 issued by the United Kingdom Home Office. This study was approved by the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body, University College London.

Injection material and stereotaxic injections

Purification of recombinant mouse α-synuclein and in vitro fibril assembly were performed as previously described [4]. Three-month old mice were anesthetized with isofluorane inhalation and stereotactically injected in the right dorsal striatum (co-ordinates: +0.2mm relative to bregma, +2.0mm from midline, +2.6mm beneath the dura) with 2.5μl of either αSYN-PFFs (5μg), α-synuclein monomers (5μg) or sterile PBS, as previously described [4]. Four L444P/+ mice and ten wild-type littermates were injected with αSYN-PFFs, four L444P/+ mice and five wild-type littermates were injected with α-synuclein monomers, and four L444P/+ mice and five wild-type littermates were injected with sterile PBS.

Immunohistochemistry

Mice were killed by CO2 inhalation four months post αSYN-PFF injection, brains were extracted, post-fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS at 4°C for one week, then cryoprotected and stored in 30% sucrose (Sigma-Aldrich) in PBS supplemented with 0.1% NaN3 (Sigma-Aldrich) at 4°C. Coronal brain sections (30µm) were cut using a freezing sledge microtome (Bright). Free-floating section immunohistochemistry was performed as previously described [3], but with the following modifications. 1. Antigen retrieval was achieved by incubating the sections in 70% formic acid at room temperature for 20 minutes. 2. Sections were incubated for 72 hours at 4°C with rabbit primary antibody specific to α-synuclein phosphorylated at Ser129 (p-αSYN) (Abcam, ab59264) diluted at 1:2000 in PBST. 3. Sections were washed in PBS and mounted on SuperFrost® Plus microscope slides (Thermo Scientific) after staining was developed.

Experimental design and statistical analyses

To measure the extent of α-synuclein pathology, the number of p-αSYN-positive deposits were counted in two brain regions (striatum and cingulate/motor cortex) in L444P/+ mice (n = 4) and wild-type littermates (n = 10). Counting was performed in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the injection site at three different coronal planes per animal (AP +1.4, +0.1, -0.5mm from the bregma). A series of counting probes (40x40x10µm) arranged in a two-dimensional array spaced at 300µm intervals were superimposed on the analyzed brain region, and p-αSYN-positive LB- and LN-like structures contained within the counting probe were counted under a 100x objective on an Olympus BX53 microscope. To minimize the effect of subjective bias when assessing the results of αSYN-PFF injection, the counting of p-αSYN-positive deposits was assessor-blind. The number of p-αSYN deposits was normalized to the volume of the probe and an average of all probe sites was calculated for each animal as a biological replicate for statistical purposes. The Student t-test was used to compare p-αSYN species densities between L444P/+ and wild-type mice.

Results

The distribution of p-αSYN deposits (considered here as markers of synucleinopathy) was analyzed throughout the brains of wild-type and L444P/+ mice four months post αSYN-PFF injection.

Widespread p-αSYN pathology was observed in the brains of αSYN-PFF-injected wild-type mice in the form of LB- and LN-like structures. In the hemisphere ipsilateral to the injection, the highest concentration of p-αSYN-positive inclusions was found in the cortex (especially the parietal, insular, perirhinal and entorhinal cortices and layer 5 of the motor cortex) and in the amygdala (Figs 1A and 1B and S1A and S1B). Prominent accumulation of p-αSYN was also observed in the striatum, layer 2 of the motor cortex, layer 5 of the cingulate cortex and in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) (Figs 1C, 2A–2C and S1C and S2A–S2C). Although similar regions were affected in the hemisphere contralateral to the injection site, pathology in most analyzed regions was less prominent than in the equivalent ipsilateral region, and was completely absent in the SNpc. Within the motor cortex, pathology in the contralateral hemisphere was more prominent in layer 2 of the motor cortex in relation to layer 5 than in the ipsilateral hemisphere (Figs 2A–2C and S2A–S2C).

Fig 1. p-αSYN inclusions in the perirhinal cortex, amygdala and substantia nigra in αSYN-PFF-injected wild-type and L444P/+ mice.

Fig 1

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(A) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the perirhinal cortex at the level of 2.2mm posterior to the injection site (-2.0mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (B) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the lateral amygdaloid nuclei at the level of 2.2mm posterior to the injection site (-2.0mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (C) Increased p-αSYN pathology in substantia nigra pars compacta at the level of 3.7mm posterior to the injection site (-3.5mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. Scale bars = 25µm. Representative images shown. In total ten +/+ and four L444P/+ mice were analyzed.

Fig 2. p-αSYN inclusions in the striatum and cortex (secondary motor and cingulate cortices) in αSYN-PFF-injected wild-type and L444P/+ mice.

Fig 2

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(A) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the striatal tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (B) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in layer 5 of the secondary motor cortex in the ipsilateral and in layer 2 of the secondary motor cortex in the contralateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (C) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the cingulate cortex in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (D) Quantification of p-αSYN-positive deposits in the ipsilateral striatum of wild-type and L444P/+ mice reveals a non-statistically significant difference between the genotypes (Student t-test, p = 0.23). (E) Quantification of p-αSYN-positive deposits in the ipsilateral motor and cingulate cortices of wild-type and L444P/+ mice reveals a statistically significant difference between the genotypes (Student t-test, *p = 0.008). Scale bars = 25µm. Representative images shown. Ten +/+ and four L444P/+ mice were analyzed in total.

αSYN-PFF inoculation of L444P/+ mice resulted in p-αSYN pathology in the same brain regions as in wild-type littermates. The density of p-αSYN deposits, however, appeared to be higher than in wild-type mice in several regions, including the motor, cingulate, perirhinal and entorhinal cortices, amygdala and SNpc (Figs 1A–1C, 2B and 2C and S1A–S1C, S2B and S2C). The extent of p-αSYN pathology was estimated in the ipsilateral hemisphere in the striatum and in the cortical area including the cingulate and motor cortex by counting LB- and LN-like deposits in αSYN-PFF-injected L444P/+ and wild-type mice. There was a trend for an increase in p-αSYN deposits in the striatum of L444P/+ mice compared to wild-type littermates, but this was not statistically significant (Student t-test, p = 0.23) (Fig 2D). However, a significant increase in the number of p-αSYN deposits was observed in the cortex of L444P/+ mice compared to wild-type littermates (45000±7000 vs. 96000±19000 LB-like inclusions/mm3) (Student t-test, p = 0.008) (Fig 2E).

No p-αSYN pathology was observed after PBS or α-synuclein monomer injection in the brains of L444P/+ and wild-type mice (data not shown).

Discussion

This is the first study to analyze the effect of mouse αSYN-PFFs in the brains of Gba1 L444P/+ mutant mice. Using this model, we showed that GCase deficiency greatly increases formation of pathological p-αSYN deposits in transgenic mice following αSYN-PFF injection.

We observed widespread p-αSYN pathology in the form of LB- and LN-like deposits throughout the brains of wild-type and L444P/+ mice four months post-injection with αSYN-PFFs, but not with PBS or α-synuclein monomers. This observation is in line with previous studies, which showed that a single intracerebral injection of αSYN-PFFs is sufficient to induce α-synuclein spreading in wild-type mice, and to accelerate progression of PD-like pathology in transgenic mice expressing the human α-synuclein A53T mutation [4, 5, 8]. Our results further confirm that αSYN-PFFs are capable of inducing α-synuclein spreading and accumulation, leading to robust α-synuclein pathology in anatomically-interconnected brain regions.

We next assessed the effects of αSYN-PFFs on the formation of p-αSYN inclusions in the absence and presence of GCase deficiency. The aim of this was to determine whether the 30% decrease of GCase activity observed in the brains of L444P/+ mice would enhance α-synuclein pathology in vivo [3]. We observed more prominent accumulation of p-αSYN deposits in several brain regions (including the motor, cingulate, perirhinal and entorhinal cortices, and the amygdala and substantia nigra pars compacta) in L444P/+ mice compared to wild-type littermates. We then determined the number of LB- and LN-like deposits in the striatum and cortical area of L444P/+ and wild-type mice, and observed significant increases in the number of p-αSYN deposits in the cortex of L444P/+ mice. Taken together, these results indicate that GCase deficiency considerably increases accumulation and spread of pathological α-synuclein.

Several lines of evidence might explain how GCase deficiency increases formation of p-αSYN deposits. It has been shown that GCase reduction alters the formation and/or stability of α-synuclein polymers through glycosphingolipid accumulation, increasing the level of α-synuclein monomers that might subsequently misfold and aggregate into p-αSYN inclusions [9]. It has also been reported that in neuronal cultures derived from mice containing the Gba1 L444P mutation and human α-synuclein, GCase deficiency significantly decreases the rate of α-synuclein degradation leading to α-synuclein accumulation [10]. Moreover, it has been suggested that the L444P mutation might increase total α-synuclein levels by prolonging the half-life of both endogenous α-synuclein and externally-delivered α-synuclein possibly by reducing its lysosomal degradation [3]. In turn, these increased intraneuronal α-synuclein levels might promote α-synuclein assembly, subsequently enhancing α-synuclein aggregation into p-αSYN inclusions. These explanations may well also apply to αSYN-PFFs [11].

Altogether, our results indicate that GCase deficiency considerably enhances accumulation of pathological α-synuclein and favors spreading of its aggregates. It is of interest that the results described here have a clinical correlate in that PD patients with L444P Gba1 mutations have earlier onset of disease, more rapid progression and increased cognitive dysfunction [12]. Our findings offer novel insight into how Gba1 mutations might contribute to PD development and progression.

Supporting information

S1 Fig. p-αSYN inclusions in the perirhinal cortex, amygdala and substantia nigra in αSYN-PFF-injected wild-type and L444P/+ mice.

(A) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the perirhinal cortex at the level of 2.2mm posterior to the injection site (-2.0mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (B) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the lateral amygdaloid nuclei at the level of 2.2mm posterior to the injection site (-2.0mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (C) Increased p-αSYN pathology in substantia nigra pars compacta at the level of 3.7mm posterior to the injection site (-3.5mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. Scale bars = 100µm. Representative images shown. In total ten +/+ and four L444P/+ mice were analyzed.

(TIF)

Click here for additional data file. (28.5MB, tif)
S2 Fig. p-αSYN inclusions in the striatum and cortex (secondary motor and cingulate cortices) in αSYN-PFF-injected wild-type and L444P/+ mice.

(A) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the striatal tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (B) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in layer 5 of the secondary motor cortex in the ipsilateral and in layer 2 of the secondary motor cortex in the contralateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (C) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the cingulate cortex in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. Scale bars = 100µm. Representative images shown. Ten +/+ and four L444P/+ mice were analyzed in total.

(TIF)

Click here for additional data file. (49.5MB, tif)
S3 Fig. Lack of p-αSYN inclusions in the perirhinal cortex, cingulate cortex and striatum in PBS-injected wild-type mice.

(A) No p-αSYN pathology in the perirhinal cortex at the level of 2.2mm posterior to the injection site (-2.0mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of wild-type controls. (B) No p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the cingulate cortex in the ipsilateral hemisphere of wild-type controls. (C) No p-αSYN pathology in the striatal tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemispheres of wild-type controls. (B) Scale bars at low magnification = 100µm. Scale bars at high magnification = 25µm. Representative images shown. Ten wild-type mice were analyzed in total.

(TIF)

Click here for additional data file. (26.5MB, tif)
S4 Fig. Additional images of p-αSYN inclusions in the striatum, amygdala and substantia nigra in αSYN-PFF-injected wild-type and L444P/+ mice.

(A) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the striatal tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (B) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the lateral amygdaloid nuclei at the level of 2.2mm posterior to the injection site (-2.0mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (C) Increased p-αSYN pathology in substantia nigra pars compacta at the level of 3.7mm posterior to the injection site (-3.5mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. Scale bars = 50µm. Representative images shown. In total ten +/+ and four L444P/+ mice were analyzed.

(TIF)

Click here for additional data file. (27.3MB, tif)
S5 Fig. Additional images of p-αSYN inclusions in the cortex (secondary motor and cingulate cortices) in αSYN-PFF-injected wild-type and L444P/+ mice.

(A) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in layer 5 of the secondary motor cortex in the ipsilateral and in layer 2 of the secondary motor cortex in the contralateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (B) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the cingulate cortex in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. Scale bars = 50µm. Representative images shown. Ten +/+ and four L444P/+ mice were analyzed in total.

(TIF)

Click here for additional data file. (20MB, tif)

Data Availability

All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.

Funding Statement

This work was supported by the Parkinson’s UK grants G-1403 and G-1704, and Medical Research Council (MRC) grants MR/M006646/1 and MR/N028651/1. A.H.V.S. is supported by the NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre.

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Decision Letter 0

David R Borchelt

4 Jun 2020

PONE-D-20-14240

L444P Gba1 mutation increases formation and spread of α-synuclein deposits in mice injected with mouse α-synuclein pre-formed fibrils

PLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Schapira,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

Below you will find comments from the Academic editor and an expert reviewer. The editor and reviewer are both concerned about the relatively small number of L444P/+ animals that were analyzed, and there are some questions about statistical methods or interpretation. The reviewer suggests validation of the histology data with a second antibody, which would be optional for the authors in accord with journal policy.

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Additional Editor Comments:

The manuscript is approaching the bare minimum of a publishable unit of information. Can the authors provide a justification for the low "n" number for L444P/+ mice that were injected an analyzed? Four is a relatively small number. I am not entirely convinced that the differences in pathology between genotypes is so robust than an n of 4 is really sufficient to draw hard conclusions. The data in Figure 2D and E should be presented as scatter plots so that the reader can visualize the variability in the data. On page 8, line 182 the authors state that "the number of p-a-Syn deposits was elevated in the striatum of L444P/+ mice compared to WT littermates, but this was not statistically significant". These two phrases are mutually exclusive. If the statistics do not confirm that the level of deposits was elevated, then one can not make the statement as written.

Because you have unequal sample sizes, it is necessary to do a post hoc test of validity. If the variances in the data sets are similar, then you can use Tukey-Kramer or Fisher's test among other possibilities. If the variances in the data are not equal, then there are other post hoc tests that must be used.

With the journals making it relatively painless to provide supplementary data, it would be useful to show some images of the absence of pathology in the controls as supplemental data. Similarly, with an N of only 4, more images of pathology could be provided as supplemental figures.

The resolution of the supplemental images is relatively low (even after downloading the better quality image).

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The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Partly

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: This is a manuscript by Migdalska-Richards and colleagues reporting that a single injection of pre-formed mouse α-synuclein fibrils into the striatum of GBA1 mice that carry a L444P knock-in mutation compared to wild-type littermates result in a greater formation and spread of α-synuclein inclusions. The following issues need to be addressed:

1) Why were only 4 L444P/+ mice used compared to 10 wild-type littermates?

2) Only one antibody to pSer129 was used for immunostaining. For proper scientific validation and rigor, the findings should be confirmed with at least one addition antibody, preferably not to pSer129.

3) In Figure 2E, the quantification of the motor and cingulate cortices were combined. These should be separate.

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Reviewer #1: No

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PLoS One. 2020 Aug 24;15(8):e0238075. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238075.r002

Author response to Decision Letter 0

27 Jul 2020

We thank both the Editor and Reviewer for their comments.

Answers to both the Editor and Reviewer:

1. Why the relatively small number of L444P/+ animals that were analysed?

We used a relatively small number of L444P/+ mice based on previous publications concerning pre-formed fibril injections and our own published data.

Luk, KC, Kehm V, Carroll J, Zhang B, O’Brien P, Trojanowski JQ, et al. Pathological α-synuclein transmission initiates Parkinson’s-like neurodegeneration in nontransgenic mice. Science. 2012a 338(6109):949-53.

In this paper, 3–7 animals were examined per group.

Luk, KC, Kehm VM, Zhang B, O'Brien P, Trojanowski JQ, Lee VM. Intracerebral inoculation of pathological α-synuclein initiates a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative α-synucleinopathy in mice. J Exp Med. 2012b 209(5):975-86.

In this paper, 3–12 animals were examined per group.

Migdalska-Richards AM, Wegrzynowicz M, Rusconi R, Deangeli G, Di Monte DA, Spillantini MG, et al. The L444P Gba1 mutation enhances α-synuclein induced loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons in mice. Brain. 2017 140:2706-2721.

In this paper, 3–6 animals were examined per group.

Based on the number of mice used in each of these 3 publications (please see above) and that with careful measurements, the number was (and is) expected to produce a statistically significant result. Also, as our funders (PUK) and institution (UCL) are committed to the 3Rs, the minimum number of animals was entered into the design.

Answers to the Editor:

1. The data in Figure 2D and E should be presented as scatter plots so that the reader can visualize the variability in the data.

The figures were changed accordingly.

2. On page 8, line 182 the authors state that "the number of p-a-Syn deposits was elevated in the striatum of L444P/+ mice compared to WT littermates, but this was not statistically significant". These two phrases are mutually exclusive. If the statistics do not confirm that the level of deposits was elevated, then one cannot make the statement as written.

The statement was changed to: “There was a trend for an increase in p-αSYN deposits in the striatum of L444P/+ mice compared to WT littermates, but this was not statistically significant.”

3. Because you have unequal sample sizes, it is necessary to do a post hoc test of validity. If the variances in the data sets are similar, then you can use Tukey-Kramer or Fisher's test among other possibilities. If the variances in the data are not equal, then there are other post hoc tests that must be used.

Typically, a post hoc test of validity is applied when ANOVA test is used to calculate a statistical significance. However, post hoc tests are not commonly used when t-Test is used to calculate a statistical significance. t-Test is commonly used to compare statistical changes between two groups, while ANOVA is typically to compare statistical changes among more than two groups. As we only had two groups, we chose t-Test for our analysis. We checked the equality of variances using Levene's test and we did not find any statistically significant changes between any analysed groups (p=0.304 for cortex and p=0.884 for striatum). We checked the data normality using Shapiro-Wilk test and found the normal distribution in all analysed groups (p=0.579 for WT/cortex, p=0.716 for L444P/cortex, p=0.052 for WT/striatum and p=0.959 for L444P/striatum). Thus, after confirming the normal distribution and the equality of variances, we could compare all the groups.

4. With the journals making it relatively painless to provide supplementary data, it would be useful to show some images of the absence of pathology in the controls as supplemental data. Similarly, with an N of only 4, more images of pathology could be provided as supplemental figures.

The Supplementary Figure 3 was generated to show the absence of p-αSYN pathology in PBS-injected control mice. The Supplementary Figure 4 and 5 were generated to provide additional images showing the presence of p-αSYN pathology in αSYN-PFF-injected L444P/+ mice.

5. The resolution of the supplemental images is relatively low (even after downloading the better quality image).

The better-quality images were generated.

Answers to the Reviewer:

1. Only one antibody to pSer129 was used for immunostaining. For proper scientific validation and rigor, the findings should be confirmed with at least one addition antibody, preferably not to pSer129.

We used a well validated antibody for pSer129 (see publications above), and we are unclear as to why another antibody not to pSer129 would have been of value.

2. In Figure 2E, the quantification of the motor and cingulate cortices were combined. These should be separate.

In the mouse, the cingulate and motor cortices are adjacent and the border between them often indistinct, making separate counting inappropriate. Therefore, for the purpose of illustrating pathology (see Figure 2) we selected representative sections taken from the periphery of the respective areas away from their border. However, for the purpose of quantitation we combined the two adjacent areas of cingulate and motor cortices to avoid mis-appropriation of data between the two.

Attachment

Submitted filename: Response to Reviewers.docx

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Decision Letter 1

David R Borchelt

10 Aug 2020

L444P Gba1 mutation increases formation and spread of α-synuclein deposits in mice injected with mouse α-synuclein pre-formed fibrils

PONE-D-20-14240R1

Dear Dr. Schapira,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

An invoice for payment will follow shortly after the formal acceptance. To ensure an efficient process, please log into Editorial Manager at http://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/, click the 'Update My Information' link at the top of the page, and double check that your user information is up-to-date. If you have any billing related questions, please contact our Author Billing department directly at authorbilling@plos.org.

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Kind regards,

David R Borchelt

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Although Reviewer 1 remains dissatisfied, the authors have addressed all of the technical comments and provide an adequate justification for the animal numbers. Personally, I would still like to have seen a larger N for the transgenics, but I can't argue with the justification.

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

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2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Partly

**********

3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: This is a resubmitted manuscript by Migdalska-Richards and colleagues. Some simple but scientifically important changes were requested that have not been addressed.

1) It was requested that for proper scientific validation and rigor, the findings be confirmed with at least one additional antibody that would preferably be against a difference epitope thus not another pSer129 specific antibody. Using more than one antibody for immunocytochemical validation is a standard pathological practice. The authors simply refused this request.

2) It was requested that the quantification of the motor and cingulate cortices be separated as these are distinct neuroanatomical structures with distinct functions. The authors refused to do this simple request and their explanation is that it is not appropriate as they claim that there can distinguish between these regions when taking images but that they could not do the same for quantification.

3) It is still not explained why N=10 wild-type littermates and only N =4 L444P/+ mice was used. Why the imbalance in the number of mice used?

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7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: No

Acceptance letter

David R Borchelt

13 Aug 2020

PONE-D-20-14240R1

L444P Gba1 mutation increases formation and spread of α-synuclein deposits in mice injected with mouse α-synuclein pre-formed fibrils

Dear Dr. Schapira:

I'm pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS ONE. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now with our production department.

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please let them know about your upcoming paper now to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information please contact onepress@plos.org.

If we can help with anything else, please email us at plosone@plos.org.

Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE and supporting open access.

Kind regards,

PLOS ONE Editorial Office Staff

on behalf of

Prof. David R Borchelt

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Associated Data

    This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

    Supplementary Materials

    S1 Fig. p-αSYN inclusions in the perirhinal cortex, amygdala and substantia nigra in αSYN-PFF-injected wild-type and L444P/+ mice.

    (A) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the perirhinal cortex at the level of 2.2mm posterior to the injection site (-2.0mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (B) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the lateral amygdaloid nuclei at the level of 2.2mm posterior to the injection site (-2.0mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (C) Increased p-αSYN pathology in substantia nigra pars compacta at the level of 3.7mm posterior to the injection site (-3.5mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. Scale bars = 100µm. Representative images shown. In total ten +/+ and four L444P/+ mice were analyzed.

    (TIF)

    Click here for additional data file. (28.5MB, tif)
    S2 Fig. p-αSYN inclusions in the striatum and cortex (secondary motor and cingulate cortices) in αSYN-PFF-injected wild-type and L444P/+ mice.

    (A) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the striatal tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (B) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in layer 5 of the secondary motor cortex in the ipsilateral and in layer 2 of the secondary motor cortex in the contralateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (C) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the cingulate cortex in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. Scale bars = 100µm. Representative images shown. Ten +/+ and four L444P/+ mice were analyzed in total.

    (TIF)

    Click here for additional data file. (49.5MB, tif)
    S3 Fig. Lack of p-αSYN inclusions in the perirhinal cortex, cingulate cortex and striatum in PBS-injected wild-type mice.

    (A) No p-αSYN pathology in the perirhinal cortex at the level of 2.2mm posterior to the injection site (-2.0mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of wild-type controls. (B) No p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the cingulate cortex in the ipsilateral hemisphere of wild-type controls. (C) No p-αSYN pathology in the striatal tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemispheres of wild-type controls. (B) Scale bars at low magnification = 100µm. Scale bars at high magnification = 25µm. Representative images shown. Ten wild-type mice were analyzed in total.

    (TIF)

    Click here for additional data file. (26.5MB, tif)
    S4 Fig. Additional images of p-αSYN inclusions in the striatum, amygdala and substantia nigra in αSYN-PFF-injected wild-type and L444P/+ mice.

    (A) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the striatal tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (B) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the lateral amygdaloid nuclei at the level of 2.2mm posterior to the injection site (-2.0mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (C) Increased p-αSYN pathology in substantia nigra pars compacta at the level of 3.7mm posterior to the injection site (-3.5mm from the bregma) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. Scale bars = 50µm. Representative images shown. In total ten +/+ and four L444P/+ mice were analyzed.

    (TIF)

    Click here for additional data file. (27.3MB, tif)
    S5 Fig. Additional images of p-αSYN inclusions in the cortex (secondary motor and cingulate cortices) in αSYN-PFF-injected wild-type and L444P/+ mice.

    (A) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in layer 5 of the secondary motor cortex in the ipsilateral and in layer 2 of the secondary motor cortex in the contralateral hemisphere of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. (B) Increased p-αSYN pathology in the cortical tissue at the level of 0.6mm anterior to the injection site (+0.8mm from the bregma) in the cingulate cortex in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres of L444P/+ mice compared to their wild-type control littermates. Scale bars = 50µm. Representative images shown. Ten +/+ and four L444P/+ mice were analyzed in total.

    (TIF)

    Click here for additional data file. (20MB, tif)
    Attachment

    Submitted filename: Response to Reviewers.docx

    Click here for additional data file. (16.1KB, docx)

    Data Availability Statement

    All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.

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