Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

A combinatorial code for the interaction of alpha-synuclein with membranes.

Shin-ichiro Kubo¹, Venu M Nemani, Robert J Chalkley

¹Department of Neurology, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-2140, USA.

The Journal of Biological Chemistry

|July 16, 2005

Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Impact of sleep-related symptoms on clinical motor subtypes and disability in Parkinson's disease: a multicentre cross-sectional study.

Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry·2017

Same author

Characterizing restless legs syndrome and leg motor restlessness in patients with Parkinson's disease: A multicenter case-controlled study.

Parkinsonism & related disorders·2017

Same author

CSF1R Mutation p.G589R and the Distribution Pattern of Brain Calcification.

Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan)·2017

Same author

Mitochondrial-Associated Membranes in Parkinson's Disease.

Advances in experimental medicine and biology·2017

Same author

Analysis of the Usefulness of the WORSEN Score for Predicting the Deterioration of Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association·2017

Same author

Decreased long-chain acylcarnitines from insufficient β-oxidation as potential early diagnostic markers for Parkinson's disease.

Scientific reports·2017

Alpha-synuclein

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Molecular Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Alpha-synuclein is implicated in Parkinsons disease pathogenesis.
Its normal function and disease role are poorly understood.
Lipid raft interaction is crucial for alpha-synuclein's normal localization.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the in vitro interaction of alpha-synuclein with lipid rafts.
To elucidate the molecular basis of alpha-synuclein's membrane binding.

Main Methods:

Developed an in vitro binding assay using purified lipid rafts.
Utilized recombinant wild-type and mutant alpha-synuclein.
Employed proteolytic digestion and artificial membranes (liposomes) with defined lipid compositions.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

Wild-type alpha-synuclein, but not the A30P mutant, binds to purified lipid rafts.
Binding is to lipid components, independent of raft proteins.
Alpha-synuclein requires specific combinations of acidic phospholipids, particularly phosphatidylserine with oleic and polyunsaturated fatty acyl chains, for binding to artificial membranes.

Conclusions:

Alpha-synuclein's interaction with lipid rafts is specific and dependent on membrane lipid composition.
A complex combinatorial code involving specific fatty acyl chains on phosphatidylserine dictates alpha-synuclein binding.
This finding provides insights into alpha-synuclein's normal function and potential role in Parkinsons disease.