Postmortem counts of dopaminergic cell densities in the substantia nigra (5 subjects) and striatal levels of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites (6 subjects) were determined on 1 parkinsonian (PD), 3 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), 1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and 1 Alzheimer's case who had been positron emission tomography scanned with 6-[18F]fluorodopa during life. [18F]Fluorodopa uptake rate constants, which presumably depend on the number of functioning striatal DA terminals, were strictly proportional to cell densities (significant correlation with zero intercept) and also correlated significantly with striatal DA levels but with an intercept indicating greater losses of DA than of terminals in PSP and PD. Postmortem data on 6 PD, 1 PSP, and 9 neuronally normal controls substantiated the significant correlation between cell counts and DA levels, with the latter being the more depressed in pathological cases.

The Ca2+ sensor for rapid synaptic vesicle exocytosis, synaptotagmin I (syt), is largely composed of two Ca2+-sensing C2-domains, C2A and C2B. We have investigated the apparent synergy between the tandem C2 domains by altering the length and rigidity of the linker that connects them. The behavior of the linker mutants revealed a correlation between the ability of the C2-domains to penetrate membranes in response to Ca2+ and to drive evoked neurotransmitter release in cultured mouse neurons, uncovering a step in excitation-secretion coupling. Atomic force microscopy experiments indicate that the synergy between these C2-domains involves intra-molecular interactions between them. Thus, syt function is profoundly affected by changes in the physical nature of the linker that connects its tandem C2-domains. Moreover, the linker mutations uncoupled syt-mediated regulation of evoked and spontaneous release, revealing that syt also acts as a fusion clamp prior to the Ca2+ trigger.

Setting: University hospital. Patients: We performed extensive mutation analyses of PINK1 in 414 PD patients negative for parkin mutations (mean [SD] age at onset, 42.8 [14.3] years), including 391 unrelated patients (190 patients with sporadic PD and 201 probands of patients with familial PD) from 13 countries. Results: We found 10 patients with PD from 9 families with PINK1 mutations and identified 7 novel mutations (2 homozygous mutations [p.D297MfsX22 and p.W437R] and 5 single heterozygous mutations [p.A78V, p.P196QfsX25, p.M342V, p.W437R, and p.N542S]). No compound heterozygous mutations were found. The frequency of homozygous mutations was 4.26% (2 of 47) in families with autosomal recessive PD and 0.53% (1 of 190) in patients with Author Affiliations are listed at the end of this article.

Many functions of the plasma membrane depend critically on its structure and dynamics. Observation of anomalous diffusion in vivo and in vitro using fluorescence microscopy and single particle tracking has advanced our concept of the membrane from a homogeneous fluid bilayer with freely diffusing proteins to a highly organized crowded and clustered mosaic of lipids and proteins. Unfortunately, anomalous diffusion could not be related to local molecular details given the lack of direct and unlabeled molecular observation capabilities. Here, we use high-speed atomic force microscopy and a novel analysis methodology to analyze the pore forming protein lysenin in a highly crowded environment and document coexistence of several diffusion regimes within one membrane. We show the formation of local glassy phases, where proteins are trapped in neighbor-formed cages for time scales up to 10 s, which had not been previously experimentally reported for biological membranes. Furthermore, around solid-like patches and immobile molecules a slower glass phase is detected leading to protein trapping and creating a perimeter of decreased membrane diffusion.

Dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD) is one form of childhood-onset idiopathic torsion dystonia. Adult-onset parkinsonism has appeared in several previously unaffected members in families with DRD suggesting that this may be an additional phenotypical expression of the disease. We report a family with DRD in which 2 women and 1 man, unaffected by dystonia, developed tremor-onset parkinsonism after age 50 years. The women continue on a low dosage of levodopa after 9 and 13 years of treatment, with a stable, nearly complete, symptomatic response. This contrasts to the typical long-term treatment complications observed in patients with Parkinson's disease. We assessed nigrostriatal dopaminergic function in the proband, with typical DRD, and the 2 women with parkinsonism using 6-[18F]fluoro-L-dopa positron emission tomography. All 3 had normal striatal 6-[18F]fluoro-L-dopa uptake. These observations provide compelling evidence that "benign" adult-onset parkinsonism may be an expression of the disease in some members of families with DRD and does not support consideration of the DRD gene as a risk factor for development of Parkinson's disease. There may be considerable clinical heterogeneity in DRD depending on the age at onset.

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There are two major syndromes presenting in the early decades of life with dystonia and parkinsonism: dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD) and early-onset idiopathic parkinsonism (EOIP). DRD presents predominantly in childhood with prominent dystonia and lesser degrees of parkinsonism. EOIP presents before age 40 with parkinsonism (often with associated dystonia). Both disorders are exquisitely sensitive to levodopa, although the long-term prognosis in each appears to be different. Some have suggested, however, that DRD is a form of EOIP. We performed positron emission tomography with 6-fluoro-dopa in 10 patients with DRD and 18 patients with EOIP to study the integrity of their nigrostriatal dopaminergic systems. In DRD, we found normal striatal FD uptake. In contrast, patients with EOIP had reduced striatal FD uptake. We conclude that the patho-physiologies of DRD and EOIP are distinct. Although both disorders presumably represent a deficiency of striatal dopamine, the results suggest that in DRD dopa uptake, decarboxylation, and storage mechanisms are intact. This may explain the sustained response of DRD to low doses of levodopa. 6-Fluoro-dopa positron emission tomography distinguishes DRD from EOIP.

Ezrin-radixin-moesin protein family provides a regulated link between the cortical actin cytoskeleton and the plasma membrane. Phosphorylation of ezrin has been functionally linked to membrane dynamics and plasticity. Our recent study demonstrated that phosphorylation of the conserved T567 residue of ezrin alters the physiology of gastric parietal cells. However, the molecular mechanism of phosphorylation-induced ezrin activation has remained elusive. Here we use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to probe phosphorylation-mediated activation of ezrin in single molecules. The phospho-mimicking and non-phosphorylatable mutant ezrin proteins were generated and purified to homogeneity. Comparative analyses of two ezrin mutants by AFM demonstrate the unfolding of the N-and C-terminal domains upon the phospho-activation. To measure the physical force underlying the inter-domain contact during mechanical unfolding, we probed the defined region of ezrin using the N-terminal ezrin coated onto the AFM tip. Comparative force measurements indicate that T567 phosphorylation-induced unfolding of ezrin favors the inter-molecular association. Taken together, these results provide molecular illustration of phosphorylation elicited functional activation of ERM proteins and indicate that stimulus-induced protein conformational change can be used as a signaling mechanism orchestrating cellular dynamics.