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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Assessment of Sensorimotor Function in Mouse Models of Parkinson's Disease
Published on: June 17, 2013
Compositional changes in fecal microbiota in a new Parkinson's disease model: C57BL/6-Tg(NSE-haSyn) mice
Ji Eun Kim1, Ki Chun Kwon2, You Jeong Jin1
1Department of Biomaterials Science (BK21 FOUR Program), College of Natural Resources and Life Science/Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute/Laboratory Animal Resources Center, Pusan National University, Miryang, Korea.
Background:
The gut-brain axis (GBA) in Parkinson's disease (PD) has only been investigated in limited mice models despite dysbiosis of the gut microbiota being considered one of the major treatment targets for neurodegenerative disease. Therefore, this study examined the compositional changes of fecal microbiota in novel transgenic (Tg) mice overexpressing human α-synuclein (hαSyn) proteins under the neuron-specific enolase (NSE) to analyze the potential as GBA model.
Results:
The expression level of the αSyn proteins was significantly higher in the substantia nigra and striatum of NSE-hαSyn Tg mice than the Non-Tg mice, while those of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were decreased in the same group. In addition, a decrease of 72.7% in the fall times and a 3.8-fold increase in the fall number was detected in NSE-hαSyn Tg mice. The villus thickness and crypt length on the histological structure of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract decreased in NSE-hαSyn Tg mice. Furthermore, the NSE-hαSyn Tg mice exhibited a significant increase in 11 genera, including Scatolibacter, Clostridium, Feifania, Lachnoclostridium, and Acetatifactor population, and a decrease in only two genera in Ligilactobacillus and Sangeribacter population during enhancement of microbiota richness and diversity.
Conclusions:
The motor coordination and balance dysfunction of NSE-hαSyn Tg mice may be associated with compositional changes in gut microbiota. In addition, these mice have potential as a GBA model.
