Small Heat-shock Proteins Prevent -Synuclein Aggregation via Transient Interactions and Their Efficacy Is Affected by the Rate of Aggregation

The aggregation of -synuclein (-syn) into amyloid fibrils is associated with neurodegenerative diseases, collectively referred to as the -synucleinopathies. In vivo, molecular chaperones, such as the small heat-shock proteins (sHsps), normally act to prevent protein aggregation; however, it remains to be determined how aggregation-prone -syn evades sHsp chaperone action leading to its disease-associated deposition. This work examines the molecular mechanism by which two canonical sHsps, B-crystallin (B-c) and Hsp27, interact with aggregation-prone -syn to prevent its aggregation in vitro. Both sHsps are very effective inhibitors of -syn aggregation, but no stable complex between the sHsps and -syn was detected, indicating that the sHsps inhibit -syn aggregation via transient interactions. Moreover, the ability of these sHsps to prevent -syn aggregation was dependent on the kinetics of aggregation; the faster the rate of aggregation (shorter the lag phase), the less effective the sHsps were at inhibiting fibril formation of -syn. Thus, these findings indicate that the rate at which -syn aggregates in cells may be a significant factor in how it evades sHsp chaperone action in the -synucleinopathies.