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Bent out of shape: α‐Synuclein misfolding and the convergence of pathogenic pathways in Parkinson's disease
Author(s) -
Luna Esteban,
Luk Kelvin C.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2015.10.023
Subject(s) - neurodegeneration , synucleinopathies , parkinson's disease , neuroscience , biology , protein folding , disease , alpha synuclein , protein aggregation , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , pathology
Protein inclusions made up primarily of misfolded α‐synuclein (α‐Syn) are the hallmark of a set of disorders known as synucleinopathies, most notably Parkinson's disease (PD). It is becoming increasingly appreciated that α‐Syn misfolding can spread to anatomically connected regions in a prion‐like manner. The protein aggregates that ensue are correlated with neurodegeneration in the various yet select neuronal populations that are affected. Recent advances have begun to shed light on the spreading and toxicity mechanisms that may be occurring in PD. Several key emerging themes are arising from this work suggesting that α‐Syn mediated neurodegeneration is due to a combination of relative α‐Syn expression level, connectivity to affected brain regions, and intrinsic vulnerability to pathology.