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Heterogeneity in α-synuclein subtypes and their expression in cortical brain tissue lysates from Lewy body diseases and Alzheimer's disease

Vaikath, N. N. LU ; Erskine, D. ; Morris, C. M. ; Majbour, N. K. ; Vekrellis, K. ; Li, J. Y. LU and El-Agnaf, O. M.A. (2019) In Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 45(6). p.597-608
Abstract

Aims: Lewy body diseases are neuropathologically characterized by the abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) protein within vulnerable neurons. Although studies have evaluated α-syn in post mortem brain tissue, previous findings have been limited by typically employing pan-α-syn antibodies that may not recognize disease-relevant forms of protein. We investigated the presence of α-syn species present in post mortem brain tissues from Lewy body disease and Alzheimer's disease. Methods: Soluble and insoluble/aggregated α-syn from frontal cortex of post mortem brain tissues form Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and aged control cases were sequentially extracted using buffers with... (More)

Aims: Lewy body diseases are neuropathologically characterized by the abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) protein within vulnerable neurons. Although studies have evaluated α-syn in post mortem brain tissue, previous findings have been limited by typically employing pan-α-syn antibodies that may not recognize disease-relevant forms of protein. We investigated the presence of α-syn species present in post mortem brain tissues from Lewy body disease and Alzheimer's disease. Methods: Soluble and insoluble/aggregated α-syn from frontal cortex of post mortem brain tissues form Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and aged control cases were sequentially extracted using buffers with increasing detergent concentrations. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to quantify the levels of total-, oligomeric- and phosphorylated-Ser129-α-syn (t-, o- and pS129-α-syn). ELISA data were validated by western blot and compared to histological data from the same region of the contralateral hemisphere. Results: There was no difference in t-α-syn levels between groups in the aqueous-soluble, detergent-soluble or urea-soluble tissue fractions. However, aqueous-soluble non-phosphorylated o-α-syn was increased not only in PD and DLB but also in AD without neocortical Lewy bodies. In PD and AD, pS129-α-syn was increased in the detergent-soluble tissue fragment and, in AD, this was positively correlated with the burden of tau pathology. Increased levels of urea-soluble pS129-α-syn were demonstrated only in DLB tissue lysates but this did not correlate with Lewy body pathological burden. Conclusions: Taken together, these findings suggest that DLB have elevated levels of insoluble pS129-α-syn, but that increased levels of aqueous-soluble o-α-syn and detergent-soluble pS129-α-syn are also observed in PD and AD, suggesting different changes to α-syn across the spectrum of neurodegenerative proteopathies.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
alpha-synuclein, Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease, phosphorylation, post mortem brain, sequential extraction, synucleinopathies
in
Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology
volume
45
issue
6
pages
12 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85057994560
  • pmid:30422353
ISSN
0305-1846
DOI
10.1111/nan.12531
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
943eb41f-c6ab-4717-be07-458d651974a3
date added to LUP
2019-01-08 13:18:09
date last changed
2024-03-02 15:15:59
@article{943eb41f-c6ab-4717-be07-458d651974a3,
  abstract     = {{<p>Aims: Lewy body diseases are neuropathologically characterized by the abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) protein within vulnerable neurons. Although studies have evaluated α-syn in post mortem brain tissue, previous findings have been limited by typically employing pan-α-syn antibodies that may not recognize disease-relevant forms of protein. We investigated the presence of α-syn species present in post mortem brain tissues from Lewy body disease and Alzheimer's disease. Methods: Soluble and insoluble/aggregated α-syn from frontal cortex of post mortem brain tissues form Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and aged control cases were sequentially extracted using buffers with increasing detergent concentrations. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to quantify the levels of total-, oligomeric- and phosphorylated-Ser129-α-syn (t-, o- and pS129-α-syn). ELISA data were validated by western blot and compared to histological data from the same region of the contralateral hemisphere. Results: There was no difference in t-α-syn levels between groups in the aqueous-soluble, detergent-soluble or urea-soluble tissue fractions. However, aqueous-soluble non-phosphorylated o-α-syn was increased not only in PD and DLB but also in AD without neocortical Lewy bodies. In PD and AD, pS129-α-syn was increased in the detergent-soluble tissue fragment and, in AD, this was positively correlated with the burden of tau pathology. Increased levels of urea-soluble pS129-α-syn were demonstrated only in DLB tissue lysates but this did not correlate with Lewy body pathological burden. Conclusions: Taken together, these findings suggest that DLB have elevated levels of insoluble pS129-α-syn, but that increased levels of aqueous-soluble o-α-syn and detergent-soluble pS129-α-syn are also observed in PD and AD, suggesting different changes to α-syn across the spectrum of neurodegenerative proteopathies.</p>}},
  author       = {{Vaikath, N. N. and Erskine, D. and Morris, C. M. and Majbour, N. K. and Vekrellis, K. and Li, J. Y. and El-Agnaf, O. M.A.}},
  issn         = {{0305-1846}},
  keywords     = {{alpha-synuclein; Alzheimer's disease; dementia with Lewy bodies; Parkinson's disease; phosphorylation; post mortem brain; sequential extraction; synucleinopathies}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{597--608}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology}},
  title        = {{Heterogeneity in α-synuclein subtypes and their expression in cortical brain tissue lysates from Lewy body diseases and Alzheimer's disease}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nan.12531}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/nan.12531}},
  volume       = {{45}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}