Fig. 2

p-α-Syn-immunoreactive inclusions were present in the cytoplasm of BCAS1(+) cells in MSA brains. a Immunofluorescence staining of an MSA patient brain showing p-α-syn-immunoreactive inclusions in the deep layer of the frontal cortex (low-power field images, upper) and the presence of inclusions within the BCAS1(+) cells (high-power field images, lower). The borders between cortical layers were defined by NeuN and Kluver–Barrera (data not shown) staining and are indicated as yellow dotted lines for DAPI staining. The areas marked by white dotted lines in the upper images are magnified in the lower images, where further magnified images of inclusion-positive cells are displayed in the top right corners. Scale bars = 100 μm (upper) and 50 μm (lower). The images are provided from case 2 (Additional file 1: Table S1). b Confocal images of BCAS1(+) cells in the frontal cortex of an MSA patient showing the cytoplasmic inclusions, which were immunoreactive to antibodies against p-α-syn and cleaved caspase-9. Scale bar = 20 μm. The images are provided from case 9 (Additional file 1: Table S1). c Confocal images of BCAS1(+) cells in the frontal cortex of a PD patient showing no intracellular p-α-syn immunoreactivity. Scale bar = 20 μm. The images are provided from case 14 (Additional file 1: Table S1). d The frequencies of p-α-syn-immunoreactive inclusions in the BCAS1(+) cells of MSA brains and PD/DLB brains (frontal cortex) were compared. PD/DLB, N = 7, MSA, N = 4; Mann–Whitney, p** < 0.01. e The frequencies of p-α-syn-immunoreactive inclusions between early-stage and late-stage BCAS1(+) cells of the MSA brains were compared. N = 4, respectively; Mann–Whitney, p* < 0.05. f The frequencies of cleaved caspase-9 immunoreactivity were compared between BCAS1(+) cells with and without p-α-syn-immunoreactive inclusions. N = 4, respectively; Mann–Whitney, p* < 0.05