Affiliations: Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Judith A. Potashkin, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Rd, North Chicago, IL 60064-3037, USA. Tel.: +1 847 578 8677; Fax: +1 847 578 3268; E-mail: judy.potashkin@rosalindfranklin.edu.
Abstract: Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) shares pathological and clinical features with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patients making the diagnosis challenging. Distinguishing PD from PSP is crucial given differences in disease course, treatment and clinical management. Objective: Although some progress has been made in the discovery of biomarkers for PD and PSP, there is an urgent need to identify additional biomarkers capable of distinguishing between these diseases. Methods: In this study, we tested the phosphatases DUSP8 and PTPRC for their diagnostic potential using quantitative PCR assays, in blood of 138 samples from participants nested in the Parkinson’s Disease Biomarkers Program. Results: Relative abundance of PTPRC mRNA was downregulated in PSP patients compared to PD and healthy controls, whereas there was no significant difference in the expression of DUSP8. Interestingly, PTPRC mRNA correlated with the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) total score and MDS-UPDRS- part III, thus indicating it might be useful as part of a biosignature to stratify patients according to disease severity and progression. Conclusions: Collectively, these results suggest that PTPRC expression may be useful for distinguishing PD from PSP patients as part of a biosignature. Evaluation of PTPRC along with additional biomarkers in a larger and well-characterized longitudinal study is warranted.
