Washed 36 with (phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) containing 0.05 Tween 20 (PBST). After 2 hours of incubation 100 ml/well of blocking buffer (PBST containing 2.5 gelatin), 50ml of the plasma (diluted 1:1 in PBST) was added to each well and incubated at 37uC for 2.5 hours. After incubation, the captured a-synuclein was mixed with FL-140 antibody (0.2 mg/ml, 50 ml/well), followed by incubation with 50 ml/well (1:5,000-dilution in blocking buffer) of HRP-labeled goat antirabbit antibody (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc., USA). Bound HRP activities were assayed by chemiluminescent reaction using 50 ml/well of an enhanced chemiluminescent substrate (SuperSignal ELISA Femto Maximum Sensitivity Substrate, Pierce Biotechnology, Rockford, USA). The chemiluminescence in relative light units was then immediately measured with a Victor3 1420 (SC-1 supplier Wallac) microplate reader. The standard curve for the ELISA assay was constructed using 50 ml/well of recombinant human a-synuclein solution at different concentrations of the protein in blocking buffer. The relative concentration estimates of a-synuclein in CSF were calculated according to each standard curve. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were ,10 . Samples were maintained on ice for all ELISA assays, with the assays performed on sample aliquots that had been thawed once.Blood Plasma SamplesBlood samples (10 mL) were obtained from all non-fasted patients and healthy controls by venous puncture between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Samples were collected in plastic tubes containing EDTA, and the plasma was then separated by centrifugation at 3000 rpm at 4uC for 20 min. Plasma was collected in 0.2 ml plastic tubes and stored at ?0uC. The samples were thawed on ice just prior to analysis.Table 1. Demographic data of the samples.ControlPatientsiPD LRRk2 mutPD 32 68.0610.1 40.6 (13) 60.968.7 7.566.3 2.0960.pNumber Age at study Males (n) Age at onset of PD Disease duration (years) Disease severity (H Y score)109 69.9616.7 39.5 (42) NA NA NA134 69.0610.6 57.4 (77) 62.8610.7 6.265.3 2.0260.Measurements of Oligomeric a-synuclein Levels in order Pentagastrin Plasma0.139a 0.013b 0.273a 0.217a 0.aNA: not applicable. Participants are grouped as healthy controls (Control), LRRK2 mutation carrier Parkinson’s disease patients (LRRK2 mutPD) and non-carrier or idiopathic Parkinson’s disease patients (iPD). *The level of significance was set at p,0.05. a Anova test. b Chi-square test. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052312.tA 384-well ELISA microplate was coated by overnight incubation at 4uC with 1 mg/ml of mAb Syn211 in 200 mm NaHCO3, pH 9.6 (50 ml/well). The plate was washed with PBST and incubated with 100 ml/well of blocking buffer for 2 hours at 37uC. After washing, 50 ml of each plasma sample (diluted 1:1 in PBST) were added to separate wells and the plate incubated at 37uC for a further 3 hours. Biotinylated Syn211 diluted to 0.5 mg/ ml in blocking buffer was added and incubated at 37uC for 2 hours. The plate was washed with PBST and then incubated for 1 hour at 37uC with 50 ml/well of ExtrAvidin-Peroxidase (SigmaAldrich, Dorset, UK). The plate was washed again with PBST and incubated with 50 ml/well of an enhanced chemiluminescent substrate (SuperSignal ELISA Femto, Pierce Biotechnology, Rockford, IL) with 50 ml/well of the enhanced chemiluminescent substrate, after which chemiluminescence in relative light units 12926553 was immediately measured. For both immunoassays, the samples wereLevels of a-Synuclein in P.Washed 36 with (phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) containing 0.05 Tween 20 (PBST). After 2 hours of incubation 100 ml/well of blocking buffer (PBST containing 2.5 gelatin), 50ml of the plasma (diluted 1:1 in PBST) was added to each well and incubated at 37uC for 2.5 hours. After incubation, the captured a-synuclein was mixed with FL-140 antibody (0.2 mg/ml, 50 ml/well), followed by incubation with 50 ml/well (1:5,000-dilution in blocking buffer) of HRP-labeled goat antirabbit antibody (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc., USA). Bound HRP activities were assayed by chemiluminescent reaction using 50 ml/well of an enhanced chemiluminescent substrate (SuperSignal ELISA Femto Maximum Sensitivity Substrate, Pierce Biotechnology, Rockford, USA). The chemiluminescence in relative light units was then immediately measured with a Victor3 1420 (Wallac) microplate reader. The standard curve for the ELISA assay was constructed using 50 ml/well of recombinant human a-synuclein solution at different concentrations of the protein in blocking buffer. The relative concentration estimates of a-synuclein in CSF were calculated according to each standard curve. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were ,10 . Samples were maintained on ice for all ELISA assays, with the assays performed on sample aliquots that had been thawed once.Blood Plasma SamplesBlood samples (10 mL) were obtained from all non-fasted patients and healthy controls by venous puncture between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Samples were collected in plastic tubes containing EDTA, and the plasma was then separated by centrifugation at 3000 rpm at 4uC for 20 min. Plasma was collected in 0.2 ml plastic tubes and stored at ?0uC. The samples were thawed on ice just prior to analysis.Table 1. Demographic data of the samples.ControlPatientsiPD LRRk2 mutPD 32 68.0610.1 40.6 (13) 60.968.7 7.566.3 2.0960.pNumber Age at study Males (n) Age at onset of PD Disease duration (years) Disease severity (H Y score)109 69.9616.7 39.5 (42) NA NA NA134 69.0610.6 57.4 (77) 62.8610.7 6.265.3 2.0260.Measurements of Oligomeric a-synuclein Levels in Plasma0.139a 0.013b 0.273a 0.217a 0.aNA: not applicable. Participants are grouped as healthy controls (Control), LRRK2 mutation carrier Parkinson’s disease patients (LRRK2 mutPD) and non-carrier or idiopathic Parkinson’s disease patients (iPD). *The level of significance was set at p,0.05. a Anova test. b Chi-square test. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052312.tA 384-well ELISA microplate was coated by overnight incubation at 4uC with 1 mg/ml of mAb Syn211 in 200 mm NaHCO3, pH 9.6 (50 ml/well). The plate was washed with PBST and incubated with 100 ml/well of blocking buffer for 2 hours at 37uC. After washing, 50 ml of each plasma sample (diluted 1:1 in PBST) were added to separate wells and the plate incubated at 37uC for a further 3 hours. Biotinylated Syn211 diluted to 0.5 mg/ ml in blocking buffer was added and incubated at 37uC for 2 hours. The plate was washed with PBST and then incubated for 1 hour at 37uC with 50 ml/well of ExtrAvidin-Peroxidase (SigmaAldrich, Dorset, UK). The plate was washed again with PBST and incubated with 50 ml/well of an enhanced chemiluminescent substrate (SuperSignal ELISA Femto, Pierce Biotechnology, Rockford, IL) with 50 ml/well of the enhanced chemiluminescent substrate, after which chemiluminescence in relative light units 12926553 was immediately measured. For both immunoassays, the samples wereLevels of a-Synuclein in P.