Detection of proteolytic signatures for Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Aim: To investigate if idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) is associated with distinct proteolytic signatures relative to non-neurodegenerative controls (NND) and patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA). Materials & methods: A subtiligase-based N-terminomics screening method was exploited for semiquantitative comparison of protein N-termini in cerebrospinal fluid for pooled samples of IPD (n = 6) and NND (n = 8) individuals. Subsequently, targeted selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry measured the relative concentration of the proteolytic signature peptides in individual IPD (n = 22), NND (n = 11) and MSA (n = 18) samples. Results: The discovery screen detected 300 N-termini for 156 proteins. Selected reaction monitoring analysis revealed that two of these peptides differentiate IPD from NND while three peptides differentiate IPD from MSA. Conclusion: IPD is associated with distinct proteolytic signatures.