Alpha-synuclein immunoreactivity in glial cytoplasmic inclusions in multiple system atrophy.
Lewy bodies in Parkinson' s disease (PD) are strongly immunoreactive with antibodies against alpha-synuclein, which is mutated in some familial cases of the disease. We carried out immunohistochemical examinations of the brains of multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients using anti-alpha-synuclein antibodies. Strong alpha-synuclein immunoreactivity was found in glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs), which are of oligodendroglial origin and occur exclusively in MSA. Alpha-synuclein-immunoreactive neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCIs) were also found occasionally in the substantia nigra, pontine and inferior olivary nuclei, and dentate fascia. These findings indicate that alpha-synuclein is also a major component of GCIs and NCIs in MSA and strongly suggest that alpha-synuclein aggregation is a common process in certain neurodegenerative diseases, including PD and MSA.
Brain Disease Research Center, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Japan. koichi@bri.niigata-u.ac.jp
K
K
Wakabayashi
M
M
Yoshimoto
S
S
Tsuji
H
H
Takahashi
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000378:metabolism; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016631:Lewy Bodies / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019578:Multiple System Atrophy / Q000378:metabolism*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D051843:Synucleins; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000378:metabolism; D051844:alpha-Synuclein
D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C497604:SNCA protein, human; D051843:Synucleins; D014452:Ubiquitins; D051844:alpha-Synuclein