Detection of α-Synuclein-Specific T Cells in Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a widely prevalent chronic neurodegenerative disease. The disease is characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons with abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein (α-syn). The misfolded deposition of α-syn is known to mount robust adaptive immune response by activating T cells. Here, we show that peripheral mononuclear cells when stimulated with a α-syn-derived peptide pool activate α-syn-specific T cells that produce cytokines.