Fig. 1

In contrast to microglia, astrocytes accumulate αSYN over time. Schematic figure of the study design illustrating that the cells were treated with αSYN-F, either continuously (a) or with a 24h pulse (b). Astrocytes ingested and accumulated αSYN-F already at 24h (c). However, the accumulation was continuous over the course of 7d, resulting in an increased intracellular signal of αSYN (d). However, when the cells were washed at 24h and cultured without αSYN-F for 3d and 6d, a significant reduction was observed over time (e). Representative images of the αSYN deposits in astrocytes at the different time points are shown in f. Microglia showed extensive amounts of intracellular αSYN-F at 24h (g). However, microglia did not show the same level of accumulation over time as compared to the astrocytes but had unchanged levels of intracellular αSYN from 24h to 7d (h). Only low levels of αSYN were present in microglia at 24h+3d and 24h+6d, indicating more effective degradation in microglia than in astrocytes (i). Representative images of the αSYN deposits in microglia at the different time points are shown in (j). Scale bars = 20μm