SynPull: a novel method for studying neurodegeneration-related aggregates in synaptosomes using super-resolution microscopy

Synaptic dysfunction is one of the primary hallmarks of both Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease, leading to cognitive and behavioural decline. While alpha-synuclein, beta-amyloid, and tau are involved in the physiological functioning of synapses, their pathological aggregation has been linked to synaptic dysfunction. However, the methodology for studying the small (sub-diffraction limit) and soluble aggregates -often called oligomers, formed by these proteins is limited. Here we describe SynPull, a novel method combining single-molecule pulldown, super-resolution microscopy, and advanced computational analyses, in order to reliably study the quantity and morphology of the oligomeric alpha-synuclein, beta-amyloid, and AT8-positive tau aggregates in synaptosomes harvested from post-mortem human brain samples and mouse models. Using SynPull, we show that AT8-positive tau is the predominant aggregate type in AD, with significantly more aggregates compared to the control samples, yet the aggregate size does not differ between disease and control samples. Meanwhile, the relatively smaller amount of alpha-synuclein and beta-amyloid aggregates found in the synapses are larger than the extra-synaptic ones. Collectively, these results show the utility of SynPull to study pathological aggregates in dementia, which can help further understand the disease mechanisms causing synaptic dysfunction. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=140 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/609517v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (23K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@d53d06org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1995971org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@bf3edaorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1b75ca5_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG O_FLOATNOGraphical abstract.C_FLOATNO Human post-mortem orbitofrontal cortex samples from subjects with neuropathological diagnosis of Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease, as well as age-matched controls cut into [~]300 mg sections, and MI2, APPNL-G-F, P301S, and C57Bl/6J mouse brains were first homogenised in synaptosome buffer using a Dounce homogeniser and then filtered and centrifuged to separate nuclei and organelles from the synaptic fragments. Then, the isolated synaptosomes were incubated on the SiMPull surface with anti-neurexin antibody overnight, followed by fixation and permeabilisation. Imaging antibodies against beta-amyloid, alpha-synuclein, and AT8-positive tau were added to the samples and dSTORM imaging was performed to super-resolve the aggregates. C_FIG