title: Post-translational modification of α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, and the most prevalent degenerative movement disorder. It is estimated that the prevalence of such age-related neurodegenerative diseases will double in the next 25 years. While the etiology of Parkinson's disease is not entirely clear, a common link between both inherited and sporadic forms of disease is the protein α-synuclein. In PD brains, α-synuclein is typically found in large, insoluble protein aggregates referred to as Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. The exact role of α-synuclein is still unknown, but it has been shown to undergo a variety of post-translational modifications, which impact α-synuclein aggregation and oligomer formation in different ways. This review highlights key post-translational modifications and the impact they have on α-synuclein aggregation and toxicity, elucidating potential mechanisms for PD pathogenesis and targets for future therapeutics. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Neuroprotection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. Electronic address: jgreena@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Timothy Greenamyre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000502:physiology*; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051844:alpha-Synuclein
keywords: Alpha-synuclein; Lewy body; Lewy neurite; Oxidative stress; Parkinson׳s disease; Post-translational modification