CHANGED TRANSFERRIN SIALYLATION IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE

Variation in the sialylation pattern of transferrin was studied in ser um and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 90 patients with Parkinson's disea se (PD), dementing and non-dementing, de novo and treated, and was com pared with the variation observed in a group of 21 age-matched healthy controls. In serum and CSF of PD patients the proportional contributi on of the different sialo-transferrins was independent of sex or demen tia. However, a significant shift was found towards the more sialylate d fractions for serum transferrin in both de novo and treated PD patie nts. This shift was not observed for CSF transferrin. The contribution of the tau-transferrin fraction, reduced in de novo PD patients, retu rns on treatment to the level observed for healthy controls. These obs ervations may be important, as the degree of sialylation of transferri n in serum and CSF plays a role in the homeostasis of iron, and sugges t that alterations in transferrin sialylation may play a role in the p athophysiology of PD.