title: Differential expression between synaptic vesicle proteins and presynaptic plasma membrane proteins in the anterior horn of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
abstract: This study concerns the immunohistochemical investigation of synaptic proteins in the anterior horn of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Antibodies against synapsin 1 and synaptophysin (i.e. synaptic vesicle proteins), and those against syntaxin and the synaptosomal-associated, 25 kDa protein, SNAP25 (i.e. presynaptic plasma membrane proteins) were used for immunostaining, respectively. Lumbar spinal cords from five ALS and eight control patients were examined. In the controls, all four synaptic proteins exhibited fine granular immunoreactivities, distributed throughout the spinal gray matter almost uniformly. In contrast, in all five ALS patients, two of the synaptic vesicle proteins examined decreased in the anterior horn neuropil diffusely, while in the same lumbar segments of these cases the immunoreactivities of the two presynaptic plasma membrane proteins showed no apparent decrease, or were only mildly diminished in the same gray matter area. These results indicate that, during the presynaptic terminal degeneration in the anterior horn of ALS, synaptic vesicle involvement may precede that of the presynaptic plasma membrane.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Anatomic Pathology, Kyoto University Hospital, 54 Shogoin-Kawaharacho, Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. akito@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Akito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ikemoto
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Akiguchi
authors.forename: Asao
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000870:Anterior Horn Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C489782:SVP-38 protein, human