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Parkinson-causing α-synuclein missense mutations shift native tetramers to monomers as a mechanism for disease initiation.

Nature communications | 2015

β-Sheet-rich α-synuclein (αS) aggregates characterize Parkinson's disease (PD). αS was long believed to be a natively unfolded monomer, but recent work suggests it also occurs in α-helix-rich tetramers. Crosslinking traps principally tetrameric αS in intact normal neurons, but not after cell lysis, suggesting a dynamic equilibrium. Here we show that freshly biopsied normal human brain contains abundant αS tetramers. The PD-causing mutation A53T decreases tetramers in mouse brain. Neurons derived from an A53T patient have decreased tetramers. Neurons expressing E46K do also, and adding 1-2 E46K-like mutations into the canonical αS repeat motifs (KTKEGV) further reduces tetramers, decreases αS solubility and induces neurotoxicity and round inclusions. The other three fPD missense mutations likewise decrease tetramer:monomer ratios. The destabilization of physiological tetramers by PD-causing missense mutations and the neurotoxicity and inclusions induced by markedly decreasing tetramers suggest that decreased α-helical tetramers and increased unfolded monomers initiate pathogenesis. Tetramer-stabilizing compounds should prevent this.

Pubmed ID: 26076669 RIS Download

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Associated grants

  • Agency: NICHD NIH HHS, United States
    Id: HD045022
  • Agency: NINDS NIH HHS, United States
    Id: RF1 NS083845
  • Agency: NICHD NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R37 HD045022
  • Agency: NCI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R37 CA084198
  • Agency: NCI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: 5R37 CA84198
  • Agency: NICHD NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 HD045022
  • Agency: NINDS NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 NS083845

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