Origin of crosstalk between brain and blood immune cells in Parkinson's disease and its involvement in pathology

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K09783
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Neurology
• Research Institution: Sapporo Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Suzuki Syuuichirou 札幌医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (90532929)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 下濱 俊 札幌医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (60235687)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: パーキンソン病 / 免疫細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease for which there is no underlying cure, and there are many indications about its pathogenic mechanism but it has not been identified. Recent nuclear medicine technology showed that activation of microglia (MG) and migration of lymphocytes into the brain were confirmed in the substantia nigra of the PD patient's brain, and their involvement in the pathological condition has attracted attention. We obtained data suggesting that intravascular immune cells are greatly involved in the pathogenesis of PD in studies using PD animal models. To prove this, we succeeded in producing GFP bone marrow chimeric PD rats capable of distinguishing MG and peripheral macrophages with overlapping gene profiles. Furthermore, it was confirmed that intravascular immune cells were transferred to the substantia nigra region of the rat model.

Free Research Field

神経変性疾患

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

PDに限らず神経変性疾患の原因は当然神経やグリアにあるとされ研究が進められてきたが、本研究の特色としてPDの病態形成を血管内の免疫細胞に着目し原因を探索することがあげられる。本研究で得た新知見によりPD発症前の血液バイオマーカーの発見に繋がり、発症予防や早期治療の開始時期が提言できる可能性がある。
この研究手法がアルツハイマー病や筋萎縮性側索硬化症など病態形成に炎症の関与が指摘される他の神経変性疾患にも応用できる可能性がある。本研究の着眼点と研究手法が神経変性疾患だけでなく、他の加齢性疾患の病態解明にも応用され、免疫細胞の関与が発見される可能性もあり重要な意義がある。