title: The behavior of alpha-synuclein in neurons.
abstract: Despite considerable evidence linking alpha-synuclein with membranes in vitro, it has proven difficult to demonstrate membrane association of the protein in vivo. alpha-Synuclein localizes to the nerve terminal, but biochemical experiments have not revealed a tight association with membranes. To address the dynamics of the protein in live cells, we have used photobleaching and found that alpha-synuclein exhibits high mobility, although distinctly less than an entirely soluble protein. Further, neural activity controls the distribution of alpha-synuclein, causing its dispersion from the synapse. In addition to the presumed role of alpha-synuclein dynamics in synaptic function, changes in its physiological behavior may underlie the pathological changes associated with Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
authors.forename: Doris L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Fortin
authors.forename: Venu M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Nemani
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051844:alpha-Synuclein; D002118:Calcium