Title:Does Human Alpha-Synuclein Behave Like Prions?
Volume: 20
Issue: 6
Author(s): Yasir H. Siddique*
Affiliation:
- Department of Zoology, Drosophila Transgenic Laboratory, Section of Genetics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh-202002, Uttar Pradesh,India
Keywords:
α-synuclein, Parkinson's disease, prions, human, Lewy bodies, synaptic vesicles.
Abstract: Alpha-synuclein (α-synuclein) is a protein that is abundantly found in the brain and in a
lesser amount in the heart and muscles. The exact role of α-synucleinis is not known, but it is considered
to control the movement of synaptic vesicles. Its overexpression in the neurons leads to the
formation of Lewy bodies that damage the dopaminergic neurons in the subtantianigra of the midbrain
and leads to the progression of Parkinson’s Disease (PD). There are evidences showing that
aggregates of α-synuclein behave like prions. The present review is an attempt to put forth the nature
of α-synuclein as prions.
