Proteomic identification of novel proteins in cortical Lewy bodies

Lewy body (LB) inclusions are one of the pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). One way to better understand the process leading to LB formation and associated pathogenesis responsible for neurodegeneration in PD and DLB is to examine the content of LB inclusions. Here, we performed a proteomic investigation of cortical LBs, obtained by laser capture microdissection from neurons in the temporal cortex of dementia patients with cortical LB disease. Analysis of over 2500 cortical LBs discovered 296 proteins; of those, 17 had been associated previously with brainstem and/or cortical LBs. We validated several proteins with immunohistochemical staining followed by confocal microscopy. The results demonstrated that heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein (also known as HSC70, HSP73, or HSPA10) was indeed not only colocalized with the majority of LBs in the temporal cortex but also colocalized to LBs in the frontal cortex of patients with diffuse LB disease. Our investigation represents the first extensive proteomic investigation of cortical LBs, and it is expected that characterization of the proteins in the cortical LBs may reveal novel mechanisms by which LB forms and pathways leading to neurodegeneration in DLB and/or advanced PD. Further investigation of these novel candidates is also necessary to ensure that the potential proteins in cortical LBs are not identified incorrectly because of incomplete current human protein database.