Lipase regulation of cellular fatty acid homeostasis as a Parkinson's disease therapeutic strategy

Abstract

Synucleinopathy (Parkinson's disease (PD); Lewy body dementia) disease-modifying treatments represent a huge unmet medical need. Although the PD-causing protein alpha-synuclein (alpha S) interacts with lipids and fatty acids (FA) physiologically and pathologically, targeting FA homeostasis for therapeutics is in its infancy. We identified the PD-relevant target stearoyl-coA desaturase: inhibiting monounsaturated FA synthesis reversed PD phenotypes. However, lipid degradation also generates FA pools. Here, we identify the rate-limiting lipase enzyme, LIPE, as a candidate target. Decreasing LIPE in human neural cells reduced alpha S inclusions. Patient alpha S triplication vs. corrected neurons had increased pSer129 and insoluble alpha S and decreased alpha S tetramer:monomer ratios. LIPE inhibition rescued all these and the abnormal unfolded protein response. LIPE inhibitors decreased pSer129 and restored tetramer:monomer equilibrium in alpha S E46K-expressing human neurons. LIPE reduction in vivo alleviated alpha S-induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration in Caenorhabditis elegans. Co-regulating FA synthesis and degradation proved additive in rescuing PD phenotypes, signifying co-targeting as a therapeutic strategy.

Description
Keywords
HORMONE-SENSITIVE LIPASE, PHOSPHORYLATED ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN, MOLECULAR-WEIGHT COMPLEXES, STEAROYL-COA DESATURASE, PHOSPHOLIPID-BINDING, LIPID DROPLETS, CAENORHABDITIS-ELEGANS, ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE, NEURONS, MUTATION, Neurosciences
Citation
Fanning, S., Cirka, H., Thies, J. L., Jeong, J., Niemi, S. M., Yoon, J., Ho, G. P. H., Pacheco, J. A., Dettmer, U., Liu, L., Clish, C. B., Hodgetts, K. J., Hutchinson, J. N., Muratore, C. R., Caldwell, G. A., Caldwell, K. A., & Selkoe, D. (2022). Lipase regulation of cellular fatty acid homeostasis as a Parkinson’s disease therapeutic strategy. In npj Parkinson’s Disease (Vol. 8, Issue 1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-022-00335-6