Analyzing the immune cell population changes in the brain and the gut of PD mice

In this study we compare the CD4, CD8, and CD11c cell changes in the brain, ileum, and spleen of Parkinson's (PD) animals. A mouse model of PD was created as previously described by stereotactically injecting an AAV-expressing the human A53T-mutated form of a-Synuclein into the Substantia Nigra of adult mice, while controle mice were injected with an empty vector (EV). These mice exhibit neurodegneration and PD-like motor dysfunction. Five weeks after injection immune cells were isolated from the brain, spleen, and ileum of five mice per group. Similar organs from the same group were pooled and sorted for CD45+CD4+, CD45+CD8+, and CD45+CD11c+ cells. Twenty-thousand cells from the same group and organ were pooled and subjected to single cell sequencing. By comparing the cells from the different organs we were able to identify both T cell and CD11c+ cell populations that are shared between the brain and the gut and differentially regulated in PD. Each sample represents a pool of 20,000 CD4, CD8, and CD11c+ cells from either the brain, spleen, or ileum of 5 EV or PD mice.