Alpha- and beta-synucleins are new diagnostic tools for acute erythroid leukemia and acute megakaryoblastic leukemia

alpha-synuclein is a key component of the Lewy body, a large globular protein complex that forms in the nervous system of patients with Parkinson disease and other dementias [1-3]. Since alpha-synuclein also occurs in megakaryocytic and erythroid lineages [4-7], we wondered what role synucleins had in the hematopoietic system. Therefore, we studied the expression of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-synucleins in a comprehensive panel of patient bone marrows and leukemic cell lines. We observed under expression of alpha-synuclein in the megakaryocytes of myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN), but not normal reactive marrow (NRM) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Conversely, we observed over expression of beta-synuclein in the blasts of megakaryoblastic leukemias (MegL), but not acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or erythroleukemia (EryL), suggesting that alpha- and beta-synucleins could be useful adjunct markers for the early detection of MDS and the differential diagnosis of EryL and MegL from other AMLs.