Enhancement of native and phosphorylated TDP-43 immunoreactivity by proteinase K treatment following autoclave heating.

TDP-43 is a major disease protein in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 (FTLD-TDP). To evaluate the effectiveness of proteinase K (PK) treatment in antigen retrieval for native and phosphorylated TDP-43 protein, we examined the temporal cortex and spinal cord from patients with sporadic ALS and FTLD-TDP and control subjects. PK treatment following heat retrieval enhanced the immunoreactivity for native TDP-43 in controls as well as for native and phosphorylated TDP-43 in ALS and FTLD-TDP. A significant number of TDP-43-positive neuropil threads were demonstrated in lesions, in which routine immunohistochemistry revealed that the predominant inclusions are cytoplasmic. This retrieval method is the best of immunohistochemical techniques for demonstrating TDP-43 pathology, especially in the neuropil.