Phosphorylated α-synuclein in CSF and plasma does not reflect synucleinopathy

Abstract We developed a highly sensitive and specific single-molecule array (Simoa) Homebrew assay for quantification of phosphorylated α-synuclein at serine 129 (pS129 α-syn) and evaluated its performance in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma. Using a cohort of patients with Parkinson’s dis...

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Main Authors: Giovanni Bellomo, Erik Stoops, Jeroen Vanbrabant, Leentje Demeyer, Cindy Francois, Melanie Vanhooren, Yihua Ma, Carly M. Farris, Luis Concha-Marambio, Federico Paolini Paoletti, Lorenzo Gaetani, Lucilla Parnetti, Davide Chiasserini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:npj Parkinson's Disease
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01086-w
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Summary:Abstract We developed a highly sensitive and specific single-molecule array (Simoa) Homebrew assay for quantification of phosphorylated α-synuclein at serine 129 (pS129 α-syn) and evaluated its performance in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma. Using a cohort of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and neurological controls with available CSF α-synuclein seed amplification assay (synSAA) outcome, we examined pS129 α-syn alongside N-terminal and C-terminal α-syn proteoforms. Our results showed that pS129 α-syn concentration was about 1% and 0.001% of the other α-syn species in CSF and plasma, respectively. We found no correlation between pS129 α-syn and synSAA outcome, indicating that soluble pS129 α-syn in CSF and plasma does not reflect presence of synucleinopathy. Interestingly, pS129 α-syn and other α-syn forms were significantly increased in AD compared to PD and controls, supporting the role of α-syn as biomarker of synaptic degeneration in AD.
ISSN:2373-8057