From a Highly Disordered to a Metastable State: Uncovering Insights of α-Synuclein.

ABSTRACT: α-Synuclein (αS) is a major constituent of Lewy bodies, the insoluble aggregates that are the hallmark of one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders, Parkinson's disease (PD). The vast majority of experiments in vitro and in vivo provide extensive evidence that a disordered monomeric form is the predominant state of αS in water solution, and it undergoes a large-scale disorder-to-helix transition upon binding to vesicles of different types. Recently, another form, tetrameric, of αS with a stable helical structure was identified experimentally. It has been shown that a dynamic intracellular population of metastable αS tetramers and monomers coexists normally; and the tetramer plays an essential role in maintaining αS homeostasis. Therefore, it is of interest to know whether the t

SUBMITTER: Cote Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5955826 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature