Neuronal haemoglobin induces loss of dopaminergic neurons in mouse Substantia nigra, cognitive deficits and cleavage of endogenous alpha-synuclein

Parkinson's disease (PD) presents the selective loss of A9 dopaminergic (DA) neurons of Substantia Nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and the presence of intracellular aggregates called Lewy bodies. alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) species truncated at the carboxy-terminal (C-terminal) accumulate in pathological inclusions and promote alpha-syn aggregation and toxicity. Haemoglobin (Hb) is the major oxygen carrier protein in erythrocytes. In addition, Hb is expressed in A9 DA neurons where it influences mitochondrial activity. Hb overexpression increases cells' vulnerability in a neurochemical model of PD in vitro and forms cytoplasmic and nucleolar aggregates upon short-term overexpression in mouse SNpc. In this study, alpha and beta-globin chains were co-expressed in DA cells of SNpc in vivo upon stereotaxic injections of an Adeno-Associated Virus isotype 9 (AAV9) and in DA iMN9D cells in vitro. Long-term Hb over-expression in SNpc induced the loss of about 50% of DA neurons, mild motor impairments, and deficits in recognition and spatial working memory. Hb triggered the formation of endogenous alpha-syn C-terminal truncated species. Similar alpha-syn fragments were found in vitro in DA iMN9D cells over-expressing alpha and beta- globins when treated with pre-formed alpha-syn fibrils. Our study positions Hb as a relevant player in PD pathogenesis for its ability to trigger DA cells' loss in vivo and the formation of C-terminal alpha-syn fragments.