Journal of Proteomics & Bioinformatics
Open Access
ISSN: 0974-276X
ISSN: 0974-276X
Caroline May
Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Proteomics Bioinform
The brain has a highly complex structure and can be sub-divided into different regions, fields and cellular layers. Moreover, different neuronal and glial cells types can be distinguished which differ in their morphology, functionality, cell numbers and their also their proteomes. In the past most of the proteomic studies were done on whole brain lysate within these studies dominant cell types such as brain glial cells can mask neuron-specific information. The separation of brain-derived cells is a challenging task especially when neurons are the focus of study. Isolating intact neurons is not feasible with traditional methods such as tissue homogenization techniques. The advent of laser microdissection techniques promises to overcome previous limitations. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for isolating and analyzing neurons from postmortem human brain tissue samples. The analysis of distinct cell types is necessary for understanding normal brain function and how certain cell types are altered in brain diseases as example in Parkinson�s, Alzheimer�s or Huntington�s disease. Therefore, the isolation of disease-related cell types could explain the typical abnormalities and furthermore, it could clarify why some neuronal populations are widely affected earlier than others and which mechanisms could have an impact in protecting individual cells from neurodegeneration.
Email: caroline.may@rub.de