Figure 7. Model figure.

(A) Ingestion of α-synuclein pre-formed fibrils (PFFs) in C. elegans expressing human α-synuclein induces dopamine neuron cell death and seeds the aggregation of host α-synuclein. (B) RNAi-mediated knockdown of HSPG genes sdn-1, rib-1, or hst-1, rescues dopamine neurons from PFF toxicity and reduces PFF-driven aggregation of host α-synuclein. The mechanisms by which HSPG pathway components regulate PFF toxicity, i.e. potentially by facilitating PFF uptake or cell-to-cell transmission, remain unknown. Figure created with BioRender.com.