title: Structural and functional implications of C-terminal regions of alpha-synuclein.
abstract: Aggregation of alpha-synuclein is thought to play a major role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), which is characterized by the presence of intracytoplasmic Lewy bodies (LB) in the brain. alpha-Synuclein and its deletion mutants are largely unfolded proteins with random coil structures as revealed by CD spectra, fluorescence spectra, gel filtration chromatography, and ultracentrifugation. On the basis of its highly unfolded and flexible conformation, we have investigated the chaperone-like activity of alpha-synuclein in vitro. In our experiments, alpha-synuclein inhibited the aggregation of model substrates and protected the catalytic activity of alcohol dehydrogenase and rhodanese during heat stress. In addition, alpha-synuclein inhibited the initial aggregation of reduced/denatured lysozyme on the refolding pathway. Interestingly, deletion of the C-terminal regions led to the abolishment of chaperone activity, although largely unstructured conformations are maintained. Moreover, alpha-synuclein could inhibit the aggregation of various Escherichia coli cellular proteins during heat stress, and C-terminal deletion mutants could not provide any protection to these cellular proteins. Results with synthetic C-terminal peptides and C-terminal deletion mutants suggest that the second acidic repeat, (125)YEMPSEEGYQDYEPEA(140), is important for the chaperone activity of alpha-synuclein, and C-terminal deletion leads to the facilitated aggregation with the elimination of chaperone activity.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Thomas D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Paik
authors.forename: Chul-Hak
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009113:Muramidase / Q000737:chemistry; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D051843:Synucleins; D013884:Thiosulfate Sulfurtransferase / Q000737:chemistry; D051844:alpha-Synuclein
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C497604:SNCA protein, human; D051843:Synucleins; D051844:alpha-Synuclein; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D013884:Thiosulfate Sulfurtransferase; C421864:hen egg lysozyme; D009113:Muramidase