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Unraveling the intricate link between cell death and neuroinflammation using Drosophila as a model

Rai, Pooja
Bergmann, Andreas
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Journal Article
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2024-10-01
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Abstract

Protein aggregation is a common pathological occurrence in neurodegenerative diseases. This often leads to neuroinflammation, which exacerbates the aggregation and progression of diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Here, we focus on immune responses and neurotoxicity in a Parkinson's disease model in . Mutations in the SNCA gene that encodes the alpha (α)-Synuclein protein have been linked to familial Parkinson's disease, disrupting autophagy regulation in neuronal cells and promoting the formation of Lewy bodies, a hallmark of Parkinson's pathology. This results in the loss of dopaminergic neurons, manifesting as movement disorders. α-Synuclein aggregation triggers innate immune responses by activating microglial cells, leading to phagocytic activity and the expression of neuroprotective antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). However, sustained AMP expression or chronic inflammation resulting from inadequate microglial phagocytosis can induce neuronal toxicity and apoptosis, leading to severe dopaminergic neuron loss. This review underscores the mechanistic connection between immune response pathways and α-Synuclein-mediated neurodegeneration using models. Furthermore, we extensively explore factors influencing neuroinflammation and key immune signaling pathways implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Parkinson's disease. Given the limited success of traditional treatments, recent research has focused on therapies targeting inflammatory signaling pathways. Some of these approaches have shown promising results in animal models and clinical trials. We provide an overview of current therapeutic strategies showing potential in treating neurodegenerative diseases, offering new avenues for future research and treatment development.

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Rai P, Bergmann A. Unraveling the intricate link between cell death and neuroinflammation using Drosophila as a model. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2024 Oct 1;12:1479864. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1479864. PMID: 39411483; PMCID: PMC11474694.

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10.3389/fcell.2024.1479864
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39411483
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© 2024 Rai and Bergmann. This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.