title: Characterization of Lewy body pathology in 12- and 16-year-old intrastriatal mesencephalic grafts surviving in a patient with Parkinson's disease.
abstract: We previously reported the occurrence of Lewy bodies in grafted human fetal mesencephalic neurons in two patients with Parkinson's disease. Here, we have used immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy to characterize the development of Lewy bodies in one of these cases. This patient was operated in putamen on both sides at 12 or 16 years before death, respectively. We demonstrate that 2% of the 12-year-old and 5% of the 16-year-old grafted, presumed dopaminergic neurons contained Lewy bodies immunoreactive for alpha-synuclein. Based on morphological analysis, two forms of alpha-synuclein-positive aggregates were distinguished in the grafts, the first a classical and compact Lewy body, the other a loose meshwork aggregate. Lewy bodies in the grafts stained positively for ubiquitin and thioflavin-S, and contained characteristic alpha-synuclein immunoreactive electron dense fibrillar structures on electron microscopy. Our data indicate that Lewy bodies develop gradually in transplanted dopaminergic neurons in a fashion similar to that in dopaminergic neurons in the host substantia nigra.
authors.affiliation: Neuronal Survival Unit, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. jia-yi.li@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Jia-Yi
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Englund
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Widner
authors.forename: Stig
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rehncrona
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Björklund
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lindvall
authors.forename: Patrik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brundin
mesh_terms: D052160:Benzothiazoles; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016631:Lewy Bodies / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D013844:Thiazoles; D013997:Time Factors; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D052160:Benzothiazoles; D013844:Thiazoles; D051844:alpha-Synuclein; C009462:thioflavin T