New discoveries have been made about a key protein in the development of Parkinson’s disease.
The effects of the protein, alpha-synuclein, on neurons in the brain were investigated by Dr Giuliana Fusco of University of Cambridge, UK, and colleagues.
Using synthetic models of healthy neurons, they took a close look at the plasma membrane that protects cells by transporting nutrients in and removing toxic substances.
In Parkinson’s disease, alpha-synuclein forms clumps that affect motor and cognitive abilities. The team discovered that the protein sticks to the inner face of the plasma membrane of nerve cells but not to the outer side.
Dr Fusco said: "Usually you discover a protein for its function and then you explore what is going wrong when disease strikes, in the case of alpha-synuclein the protein was identified for its pathological association but we didn’t know what it did in the neuron."
Co-author Professor Alfonso De Simone added: "When this protein is functioning normally it plays an important part in the mechanisms by which neurons exchange signals in the brain. But it has a dark side because it malfunctions and begins to stick together in clumps which eventually spread and kill healthy brain cells.
"Our research showed that this protein clings onto the inner face of the plasma membrane of brain cells so we are slowly building a picture of this very complex disorder by studying the key function of alpha-synuclein."
The study is published in Nature Communications today (10 February).
The team hope that their finding could aid the creation of treatments to tackle the damaging effects of this protein while sparing its essential actions in neuron cells.
Fusco, G. et al. Nature Communications 10 February 2021 doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21027-4
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