Characterisation of isolated α-synuclein filaments from substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease brain

The defining neuropathological deposits of Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy are strongly immunoreactive for alpha-synuclein. We have shown previously that isolated filaments from dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy brains are labelled in a characteristic fashion by a number of alpha-synuclein antibodies. Here we have extracted filaments from substantia nigra of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Antibodies directed against the carboxy-terminal region of alpha-synuclein labelled isolated filaments along their entire lengths. By contrast, an antibody directed against the amino-terminal region of alpha-synuclein only labelled one filament end. These characteristics were identical to those of fi laments extracted from brains of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.