title: Synphilin-1 associates with alpha-synuclein and promotes the formation of cytosolic inclusions.
abstract: Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity and postural instability. Post-mortem examination shows loss of neurons and Lewy bodies, which are cytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusions, in the substantia nigra and other brain regions. A few families have PD caused by mutations (A53T or A30P) in the gene SNCA (encoding alpha-synuclein). Alpha-synuclein is present in Lewy bodies of patients with sporadic PD, suggesting that alpha-synuclein may be involved in the pathogenesis of PD. It is unknown how alpha-synuclein contributes to the cellular and biochemical mechanisms of PD, and its normal functions and biochemical properties are poorly understood. To determine the protein-interaction partners of alpha-synuclein, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen. We identified a novel interacting protein, which we term synphilin-1 (encoded by the gene SNCAIP). We found that alpha-synuclein interacts in vivo with synphilin-1 in neurons. Co-transfection of both proteins (but not control proteins) in HEK 293 cells yields cytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusions.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D002895:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 5 / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002479:Inclusion Bodies / Q000378:metabolism*; D016631:Lewy Bodies / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D011485:Protein Binding; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D051843:Synucleins; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D051844:alpha-Synuclein