TY - THES A1 - Kuzkina, Anastasia T1 - Dermal α-synuclein oligomers and aggregates in Parkinson’s disease T1 - Nachweis von Alpha-Synuclein-Oligomeren und -Aggregaten in Hautbiopsien von Parkinson-Patienten N2 - Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites are neuropathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease (PD). These depositions in the brain mostly consist of aggregated α-synuclein (α-syn) phosphorylated at Ser129. A number of studies reported detection of phosphorylated α-syn (p-α-syn) in the dermal nerve fibers in Parkinson’s disease. The objective of this study was to investigate whether pathological α-syn accumulations detected in the skin represent aggregated protein. A number of methods aimed at detecting α-syn oligomers and aggregates were first tested and optimized on the brain samples in PD and normal control. These methods included proximity ligation assay (PLA), PET-blot, immunohistochemical (IHC) stains with α-syn aggregate (5G4) or oligomer specific (ASyO5) antibodies and a stain against native α-syn (syn211) after proteinase K (PK) digestion. Subsequently, the most specific methods (stains with 5G4, ASyO5 and syn211 after PK digestion) were studied in two separate patient and control cohorts. Anti-p-α-syn stain was performed in parallel. Single sections from at least 2 biopsy sites from 44 patients and 22 controls (cohort 1) as well as serial sections of 4 biopsy sites from 27 patients and 5 controls (cohort 2) were systematically studied for presence of aggregated and oligomeric α-syn. In total, 5G4 positive deposits were found in 24% (cohort 1) and 37% (cohort 2), ASyO5 positive lesions in 17,7% (cohort 1) and 33% (cohort 2), syn211 positive lesions after PK digestion in 38,7% (cohort 1) and 48% (cohort 2) of cases. There was a major overlap among positivity for a particular staining on the patient level and in most cases, the same nerve fiber was found to be positive for all 4 markers in neighboring sections. Among the skin biopsies which contained p-α-syn accumulation, 59% were also PK resistant, 41% were 5G4 positive and 45% were ASyO5 positive. The samples belonging to normal controls did not show any positive signal in either of the newly established stainings or in the anti-p-α-syn staining. Using 3 distinct IHC methods, α-syn oligomers and aggregates were detectable in the majority of p-α-syn positive skin biopsies. This finding supports the hypothesis that α-syn aggregation occurs in the peripheral (i.e. dermal) nerves and can be specifically detected using skin biopsy. N2 - Die neuropathologischen Kennzeichen des Morbus Parkinson sind Lewy-Körperchen und Lewy-Neuriten. Diese Ablagerungen im Gehirn bestehen hauptsächlich aus aggregiertem α-Synuclein (α-Syn), das am Ser129 phosphoryliert ist. Mehrere Studien konnten zeigen, dass phosphoryliertes α-Syn (p-α-Syn) auch in Nervenfasern der Haut von Parkinsonpatienten nachweisbar ist. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war, zu untersuchen, ob es sich bei den pathologischen Ablagerungen von p-α-Syn in der Haut wie im Gehirn um Aggregate handelt. Mehrere Methoden, die dem Nachweis von α-Syn-Oligomere und Aggregate dienen, wurden zuerst an Gehirnen von einem Parkinsonpatienten und Normalkontrolle getestet und optimiert, darunter: Proximity Ligation Assay (PLA), PET-Blot, immunhistochemische Färbungen mit α-Syn-Aggregat- (5G4) oder Oligomer-spezifischen Antikörper (ASyO5) und eine Färbung mit einem Antikörper gegen natives α-Syn (syn211) nach Verdau mit Proteinase K (PK). Danach wurden die spezifischsten Methoden (Färbung mit 5G4, ASyO5 und syn211 nach PK-Verdau) an den Hautstanzbiopsien von zwei Patienten- und Normalkontrollkohorten untersucht. Parallel wurde in den Biopsien das p-α-Syn angefärbt. Einzelschnitte von je mind. 2 Biopsiestellen von 44 Patienten und 22 Kontrollen (Kohorte 1) sowie Serienschnitte von je 4 Biopsiestellen von 27 Patienten und 5 Kontrollen (Kohorte 2) wurden systematisch nach Vorliegen von aggregierten und oligomerischen α-Syn untersucht. Zusammenfassend, wurden 5G4-positive Ablagerungen in 24% (Kohorte 1) und 37% (2. Kohorte), ASyO5-positive Läsionen in 17,7% (Kohorte 1) und 33% (Kohorte 2), syn211-positive Läsionen nach PK-Verdau in 38,7% (Kohorte 1) und 48% (Kohorte 2) der Fälle gefunden. Das p-α-Syn wurde entsprechend in 43,6% und 48% der Fälle detektiert. Es zeigte sich die Tendenz, dass Patienten, bei denen p-α-Syn nachweisbar war, auch für mehrere der neuen Marker positiv waren; auch häufig waren für alle 4 Marker positive Nervenfasern in naheliegenden Schnitte zu sehen, was für eine Kolokalisation spricht. Unter den Hautbiopsien, in den p-α-Syn-Ablagerungen zu sehen waren, hatten 59% gleichzeitig PK-resistente, 41% 5G4- und 45% ASyO5-positive Ablagerungen. Bei Kontrollen waren Ablagerungen weder mit den neu eingeführten Methoden noch mit anti-p-α-Syn-Färbung detektierbar. Mit Hilfe von drei unterschiedlichen immunhistochemischen Methoden waren Oligomere und Aggregate vom α-Syn im Großteil der p-α-Syn-positiven Hautbiopsien nachweisbar. Dieser Befund unterstützt die Hypothese, dass die Ablagerung von α-Syn-Aggregaten auch in peripheren (v.a. dermalen) Nerven vorkommt und spezifisch nachgewiesen werden kann. KW - Parkinson-Krankheit KW - Biomarker KW - Haut KW - Biopsie KW - parkinson's disease KW - skin biopsy KW - alpha-synuclein KW - biomarker Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-204369 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brumberg, Joachim A1 - Kuzkina, Anastasia A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Mammadova, Sona A1 - Buck, Andreas A1 - Volkmann, Jens A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Isaias, Ioannis U. A1 - Doppler, Kathrin T1 - Dermal and cardiac autonomic fiber involvement in Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy JF - Neurobiology of Disease N2 - Pathological aggregates of alpha-synuclein in peripheral dermal nerve fibers can be detected in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy. This study combines skin biopsy staining for p-alpha-synuclein depositions and radionuclide imaging of the heart with [\(^{123}\)I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine to explore peripheral denervation in both diseases. To this purpose, 42 patients with a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease or multiple system atrophy were enrolled. All patients underwent a standardized clinical workup including neurological evaluation, neurography, and blood samples. Skin biopsies were obtained from the distal and proximal leg, back, and neck for immunofluorescence double labeling with anti-p-alpha-synuclein and anti-PGP9.5. All patients underwent myocardial [\(^{123}\)I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy. Dermal p-alpha-synuclein was observed in 47.6% of Parkinson's disease patients and was mainly found in autonomic structures. 81.0% of multiple system atrophy patients had deposits with most of cases in somatosensory fibers. The [\(^{123}\)I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine heart-to-mediastinum ratio was lower in Parkinson's disease than in multiple system atrophy patients (1.94 +/- 0.63 vs. 2.91 +/- 0.96; p < 0.0001). Irrespective of the diagnosis, uptake was lower in patients with than without p-alpha-synuclein in autonomic structures (1.42 +/- 0.51 vs. 2.74 +/- 0.83; p < 0.0001). Rare cases of Parkinson's disease with p-alpha-synuclein in somatosensory fibers and multiple system atrophy patients with deposits in autonomic structures or both fiber types presented with clinically overlapping features. In conclusion, this study suggests that alpha-synuclein contributes to peripheral neurodegeneration and mediates the impairment of cardiac sympathetic neurons in patients with synucleinopathies. Furthermore, it indicates that Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy share pathophysiologic mechanisms of peripheral nervous system dysfunction with a clinical overlap. KW - peripheral nervous system KW - Parkinson's disease KW - skin biopsy KW - MIBG scintigraphy KW - multiple system atrophy Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-260061 VL - 153 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuzkina, Anastasia A1 - Bargar, Connor A1 - Schmitt, Daniela A1 - Rößle, Jonas A1 - Wang, Wen A1 - Schubert, Anna-Lena A1 - Tatsuoka, Curtis A1 - Gunzler, Steven A. A1 - Zou, Wen-Quan A1 - Volkmann, Jens A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Doppler, Kathrin A1 - Chen, Shu G. T1 - Diagnostic value of skin RT-QuIC in Parkinson's disease: a two-laboratory study JF - NPJ Parkinson's Disease N2 - Skin alpha-synuclein deposition is considered a potential biomarker for Parkinson's disease (PD). Real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) is a novel, ultrasensitive, and efficient seeding assay that enables the detection of minute amounts of alpha-synuclein aggregates. We aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility of alpha-synuclein RT-QuIC assay of skin biopsy for diagnosing PD and to explore its correlation with clinical markers of PD in a two-center inter-laboratory comparison study. Patients with clinically diagnosed PD (n = 34), as well as control subjects (n = 30), underwent skin punch biopsy at multiple sites (neck, lower back, thigh, and lower leg). The skin biopsy samples (198 in total) were divided in half to be analyzed by RT-QuIC assay in two independent laboratories. The a-synuclein RT-QuIC assay of multiple skin biopsies supported the clinical diagnosis of PD with a diagnostic accuracy of 88.9% and showed a high degree of inter-rater agreement between the two laboratories (92.2%). Higher alpha-synuclein seeding activity in RT-QuIC was shown in patients with longer disease duration and more advanced disease stage and correlated with the presence of REM sleep behavior disorder, cognitive impairment, and constipation. The alpha-synuclein RT-QuIC assay of minimally invasive skin punch biopsy is a reliable and reproducible biomarker for Parkinson's disease. Moreover, alpha-synuclein RT-QuIC seeding activity in the skin may serve as a potential indicator of progression as it correlates with the disease stage and certain non-motor symptoms. KW - diagnostic markers KW - Parkinson's disease Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-260451 VL - 7 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haake, Markus A1 - Haack, Beatrice A1 - Schäfer, Tina A1 - Harter, Patrick N. A1 - Mattavelli, Greta A1 - Eiring, Patrick A1 - Vashist, Neha A1 - Wedekink, Florian A1 - Genssler, Sabrina A1 - Fischer, Birgitt A1 - Dahlhoff, Julia A1 - Mokhtari, Fatemeh A1 - Kuzkina, Anastasia A1 - Welters, Marij J. P. A1 - Benz, Tamara M. A1 - Sorger, Lena A1 - Thiemann, Vincent A1 - Almanzar, Giovanni A1 - Selle, Martina A1 - Thein, Klara A1 - Späth, Jacob A1 - Gonzalez, Maria Cecilia A1 - Reitinger, Carmen A1 - Ipsen-Escobedo, Andrea A1 - Wistuba-Hamprecht, Kilian A1 - Eichler, Kristin A1 - Filipski, Katharina A1 - Zeiner, Pia S. A1 - Beschorner, Rudi A1 - Goedemans, Renske A1 - Gogolla, Falk Hagen A1 - Hackl, Hubert A1 - Rooswinkel, Rogier W. A1 - Thiem, Alexander A1 - Romer Roche, Paula A1 - Joshi, Hemant A1 - Pühringer, Dirk A1 - Wöckel, Achim A1 - Diessner, Joachim E. A1 - Rüdiger, Manfred A1 - Leo, Eugen A1 - Cheng, Phil F. A1 - Levesque, Mitchell P. A1 - Goebeler, Matthias A1 - Sauer, Markus A1 - Nimmerjahn, Falk A1 - Schuberth-Wagner, Christine A1 - Felten, Stefanie von A1 - Mittelbronn, Michel A1 - Mehling, Matthias A1 - Beilhack, Andreas A1 - van der Burg, Sjoerd H. A1 - Riedel, Angela A1 - Weide, Benjamin A1 - Dummer, Reinhard A1 - Wischhusen, Jörg T1 - Tumor-derived GDF-15 blocks LFA-1 dependent T cell recruitment and suppresses responses to anti-PD-1 treatment JF - Nature Communications N2 - Immune checkpoint blockade therapy is beneficial and even curative for some cancer patients. However, the majority don’t respond to immune therapy. Across different tumor types, pre-existing T cell infiltrates predict response to checkpoint-based immunotherapy. Based on in vitro pharmacological studies, mouse models and analyses of human melanoma patients, we show that the cytokine GDF-15 impairs LFA-1/β2-integrin-mediated adhesion of T cells to activated endothelial cells, which is a pre-requisite of T cell extravasation. In melanoma patients, GDF-15 serum levels strongly correlate with failure of PD-1-based immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Neutralization of GDF-15 improves both T cell trafficking and therapy efficiency in murine tumor models. Thus GDF-15, beside its known role in cancer-related anorexia and cachexia, emerges as a regulator of T cell extravasation into the tumor microenvironment, which provides an even stronger rationale for therapeutic anti-GDF-15 antibody development. KW - cancer microenvironment KW - immunotherapy KW - T cells KW - tumour immunology Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357333 VL - 14 ER -