PINK1-linked parkinsonism is associated with Lewy body pathology

Abstract

Phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 gene mutations have been associated with autosomal recessive early-onset Parkinson's disease. To date, no neuropathological reports have been published from patients with Parkinson's disease with both phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 gene copies mutated. We analysed the coding region of phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 gene in a large Spanish family with six members with parkinsonism. The phenotype was characterized by an early-onset (mean: 31.6, standard deviation: 9.6 years, range: 14-45 years), slowly progressive levodopa-responsive parkinsonism, initial gait impairment and psychiatric symptoms. We identified two segregating pathogenic phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 mutations that were either in homozygous or heterozygous compound state in all affected family members. We found an exon 7 deletion (g.16089_16383del293; c.1252_1488del) and a novel+1U1-dependent 5' splice-site mutation in exon 7 (g.16378G>A; c.1488+1G>A). Leukocyte-derived messenger RNA analysis showed that both mutations caused exon 7 skipping and c.1488+1G>A also lead to an in-frame transcript with a 33 base-pair deletion (p.L485_R497del) resulting from activation of a 5' cryptic exon 7 splice site. Single photon emission computed tomography quantification of striatal dopamine transporter binding (123I-Ioflupane) revealed a posterior-anterior gradient similar to that of idiopathic Parkinson's disease, but there was no correlation between striatal reduced uptake and disease duration. Post-mortem neuropathological examination of an early-onset Parkinson's disease carrier of two heterozygous compound phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 mutations showed neuronal loss in the substantia nigra pars compacta, Lewy bodies and aberrant neurites in the reticular nuclei of the brainstem, substantia nigra pars compacta and Meynert nucleus, but the locus ceruleus and the amygdala were spared. This is the first neuropathological report of the brain from an early-onset phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1-linked parkinsonism showing that mutated phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 protein induces Lewy body pathology. Unbalanced preservation of the locus ceruleus may well play a role in the slow evolution of motor symptoms and, probably, in the psychiatric symptoms often encountered in Parkinson's disease associated with phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 mutation.

Clinical Approach to Parkinson's Disease: Features, Diagnosis, and Principles of Management

“…Psychiatric disturbances such as depression, anxiety, and psychosis are a frequent finding (Bonifati 2005;Ibáñez et al 2006;Steinlechner et al 2007). Lewy bodies are a recently described neuropathological finding (Samaranch et al 2010). …”

The role of α-synuclein in neurodegeneration — An update

“…Late onset PD and healthy controls revealed similar frequencies of genetic variants [220]. Loss-offunction mutations in the nuclear-encoded mitochondrial gene PINK1 (phosphatase and tensin homologue/PTEN-induced kinase 1) (PARK8), are associated with LB pathology [221,222]. DJ-1 (PARK7) or ATP13A2 (PARK9), and PARK2, which encodes E ubiquitin in the UPS [223] disrupting this ligase activity and mitochondrial function [224][225][226], lead to arPD, but also to sPD [198].…”

Tigarb Causes Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Neuronal Loss in Pink1 Deficiency

“…29 Moderate microgliosis was reported in the only postmortem report on a brain of a PD patient with 2 PINK1 mutations. 30 Of note, several of the markedly upregulated genes in our gene expression analysis (see see Supplementary Table), such as complement factor H and calpain, are involved in immune mechanisms and activation of microglial cells. 31 Using an ApoE in situ probe as a microglial marker, we compared the number of microglial cells in wt and pink1 2=2 zebrafish larvae.…”