Parkinson’s disease and movement abnormality: a molecular understanding

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a movement disorder, affecting millions of people worldwide. Previous research identified a neuronal protein α-synuclein (α-syn), responsible for the disease pathogenesis. The hallmark of PD is accumulation of α-syn oligomers in living cells, which is associated with abnormal cell-to-cell communication. Molecular basis of the abnormal intercellular communication is unknown. Inside the cell, chemical messengers (neurotransmitters, hormones, etc.)-filled vesicles when fuse with the plasma membrane, timely release of these messengers from cell is the key to synchronize overall human body function. Recently, we have identified new function of monomeric α-syn in directly regulating a crucial step of membrane fusion. Our study explains how the accumulation of non-functional α-syn oligomers might alter normal cell-to-cell communication under pathological conditions.

Reference:

R. K. Nellikka, B. R. Bhaskar, K. Sanghrajka, S. S. Patil, and D. Das. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 118 (34) e2021742118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2021742118 (August 24, 2021).