Topic: Pre-Formed Fibrils

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the accumulation of the protein alpha-synuclein within the neuronal cytoplasm. These pathological aggregates are toxic to neurons and are released upon their cell death. Interestingly, recent evidence has indicated co-aggregation of alpha-synuclein with the Alzheimer’s-associated protein Tau. This co-aggregation correlates with faster disease progression and more severe Parkinson’s symptoms.Microglia are the resident innate immune cells of the brain. They are the first line of immune defense and responsible for the removal of cytotoxic protein aggregates

Synucleinopathies are a group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the accumulation of α-synuclein-rich Lewy pathology within neurons and/or glia. Up to 90% of α-synuclein protein within Lewy pathology is phosphorylated at serine residue 129 (pS129), prompting the development of technologies for measuring α-synuclein phosphorylation as a proxy for pathological burden in these disorders. While several assays can quantify human pS129 α-synuclein in patient brain tissues and biofluids, none cross-react with mouse α-synuclein, which is problematic considering the preponderance of mouse