Proteomics of Patient-Derived Striatal Medium Spiny Neurons in Multiple System Atrophy

The rare and rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease multiple system atrophy (MSA) mainly affects the striatum and other subcortical brain regions. In this atypical Parkinsonian syndrome, the protein alpha-synuclein aggregates and misfolds in neurons as well as glial cells and is released in elevated amounts by hypoexcitable neurons. Mitochondrial dysregulation affects the biosynthesis of coenzyme Q10 and the activity of the respiratory chain, as shown in an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) model. Proteome studies of cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue from MSA patients yielded inconsistent results regarding possible protein changes due to small and combined groups of atypical Parkinsonian syndromes. In this study, we analysed the cellular proteome of MSA patient-derived striatal GABAergic medium spiny neurons. We observed 25 significantly upregulated and 16 significantly downregulated proteins in MSA cell lines compared to matched healthy controls. Various protein types involved in diverse molecular functions and cellular processes emphasise the multifaceted pathomechanisms of MSA. These data could contribute to the development of novel disease-modifying treatment strategies for MSA patients.