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Updated: Sep 27, 2025
Analyzing the Parkinson's Disease Mouse Model Induced by Adeno-associated Viral Vectors Encoding Human α-Synuclein
Published on: July 29, 2022
Supplementary data on virus-like particles in the brainstem of Parkinson's disease patients and controls
Robert R Dourmashkin1, Peter Locker2, Sherman A McCall3
1Virus Reference Dept., National Infection Service, London, London, NW9 5EQ, UK.
Abstract:
In this study, we present 77 transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of human brainstem tissue from 11 cases of late onset Parkinson's disease (PD). The tissues were fixed, embedded, sectioned, and stained for TEM application. In addition, we present 11 images from autopsy specimens of 1 case of human poliomyelitis infection as positive controls and 12 images from 8 cases of autopsy specimens of other conditions as negative controls. In the TEM images of the PD cases there were cytoplasmic inclusion bodies consisting of virus-like particles (VLP) 30 nm in diameter that were associated with endoplasmic reticulum membranes. In the nuclei of the PD neurons there were VLP ranging from 40 nm to 50 nm in diameter. In the poliomyelitis cases, similar particles as were observed in PD which were interpreted to be poliomyelitis virus particles. In the negative controls one case was identified which showed similar VLP (Figure 1, controls). A Lewy body was found in this "control" case (Figure 10) suggesting that this was an undiagnosed case of PD. Cytoplasmic ribosomes measuring approximately 17 nm were observed in the control neurons.
Insights
Transmission electron microscopy revealed virus-like particles (VLP) in brainstem neurons of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. These VLP, found in both cytoplasm and nuclei, were also observed in poliomyelitis cases and one control, suggesting potential links or diagnostic challenges.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pathology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with unknown etiology.
- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a powerful tool for visualizing ultrastructural changes in tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ultrastructural morphology of brainstem tissue in Parkinson's disease using TEM.
- To identify and characterize any novel particles or inclusions within neurons of PD cases.
Main Methods:
- Human brainstem tissues from 11 late-onset Parkinson's disease (PD) cases were analyzed using TEM.
- Positive controls (poliomyelitis) and negative controls (other conditions) were included for comparison.
- Tissues were fixed, embedded, sectioned, and stained for high-resolution electron microscopy.
Main Results:
- TEM revealed cytoplasmic inclusion bodies with virus-like particles (VLP, ~30 nm) associated with endoplasmic reticulum in PD cases.
- Nuclear VLP (40-50 nm) were observed in PD neurons.
- Similar VLP were identified in poliomyelitis positive controls and in one negative control case, which also contained a Lewy body, suggesting undiagnosed PD.
Conclusions:
- The presence of VLP in PD brainstem neurons warrants further investigation into their potential role in the disease.
- The observation of similar particles in control cases highlights the complexity of ultrastructural analysis and potential diagnostic overlaps.
- Further research is needed to determine the nature and significance of these virus-like particles in Parkinson's disease and other neurological conditions.
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