Selective loss of primary cilia and neurotrophic signaling in G51D α-synuclein mice highlights a common pathway to Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by dopaminergic neuron loss and accumulation of α‑synuclein aggregates in the brain. G51D α‑synuclein knock‑in mice provide a genetically and clinically relevant model of disease, exhibiting early olfactory deficits, age‑dependent motor impairment, and progressive phospho‑α‑synuclein accumulation. In multiple Parkinson’s disease models, striatal cholinergic and parvalbumin interneurons, as well as astrocytes, lose primary cilia and the neurotrophic signaling needed to sustain dopaminergic neurons. We show here that G51D-α‑synuclein mice share these phenotypes. Phospho‑Ser129 α‑synuclein accumulation correlates with cilia loss in cholinergic interneurons but not in medium spiny neurons that accumulate higher phospho‑α‑synuclein levels. In the piriform cortex, parvalbumin neurons lose primary cilia and downregulate Neurturin, potentially contributing to olfactory dysfunction. Within the peripheral olfactory epithelium, horizontal basal cells lose cilia..., , # Data from: Selective loss of primary cilia and neurotrophic signaling in G51D α-synuclein mice highlights a common pathway to Parkinson’s disease

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.4xgxd25r0](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4xgxd25r0)

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset contains the primary data supporting the manuscript *“Selective loss of primary cilia and neurotrophic signaling in G51D α-synuclein mice highlights a common pathway in Parkinson’s disease.”* The dataset includes raw microscopy images (.czi), immunoblot images (.tif), quantitative analyses in GraphPad Prism format (.pzf), tabulated data files (.csv), and analysis scripts, including FIJI/ImageJ macros, R scripts, and CellProfiler pipelines. This dataset also includes a key resource table (Table S1).

### Files and variables

### **File list:**

**Fig.1.zip file:**

*Folder Fig_1A_3M_ChAT_cilia*

Microscopy images (.czi) of striatal cholinergic (ChAT) neurons from 8 animals of 3 months of age. Four anima..., , , **Changes after Feb 27, 2026:** 

Uploading the Key Resource Table (Table S1).