Journal
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 34, Issue 1, Pages 17-22Publisher
HUMANA PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1007/s12031-007-0012-9
Keywords
secretion; protein aggregation; protein translocation; unconventional exocytosis; microglia; astrocyte; protein misfolding
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Misfolding and abnormal aggregation of the neuronal protein alpha-synuclein has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease and related neurological disorders, such as dementia with Lewy bodies. alpha-synuclein is a conventional cytosolic protein and is thought to exert its pathogenic function exclusively in the neuronal cytoplasm in a cell-autonomous manner. However, the current model is being challenged by a series of new observations that demonstrate the presence of alpha-synuclein and its aggregated forms in the extracellular fluid both in vivo and in vitro. Extracellular alpha-synuclein appears to be delivered by unconventional exocytosis of intravesicular alpha-synuclein, although the exact mechanism has not been characterized. Compared to the cytosolic alpha-synuclein, intravesicular alpha-synuclein is prone to aggregation and the potential source of extracellular aggregates. A number of tissue culture studies suggest that exposure to extracellular alpha-synuclein aggregates induces microglial activation, release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from astrocytes, and neurotoxicity. Thus, exocytosis of alpha-synuclein may be an important mechanism for amplifying and spreading degenerative changes from a small group of cells to its surrounding tissues, and it potentially provides therapeutic targets for halting the progression of the disease.
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