Parkinson's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Parkinson's Disease, including details on symptoms, treatment, genetics, medication.

Proteome analysis of human substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease.

Basso M, Giraudo S, Corpillo D, Bergamasco B, Lopiano L, Fasano M

Department of Structural and Functional Biology, and Center of Neuroscience, University of Insubria, Busto Arsizio, Italy.

Protein expression has been compared in human substantia nigra specimens from Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and from controls, and 44 proteins expressed in this midbrain region were identified by peptide mass fingerprinting. Among them, nine showed changes in their abundance. L and M neurofilament chains are less abundant in PD specimens, whereas peroxiredoxin II, mitochondrial complex III, ATP synthase D chain, complexin I, profilin, L-type calcium channel delta-subunit, and fatty-acid binding protein are significantly more present in PD samples than in controls. Besides the consolidated view of oxidative stress involvement in PD pathogenesis, suggested by overexpression of mitochondrial and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging proteins, these results indicate a possible potentiation mechanism of afferent signals to substantia nigra following degeneration of dopaminergic neurons.

Published 8 December 2004 in Proteomics, 4(12): 3943-52.
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