Functions of Intracellular Alpha-Synuclein in Microglia: Implications for Parkinson's Disease Risk.

ABSTRACT: Alpha-synuclein accumulation in dopaminergic neurons is one of the primary features of Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite its toxic properties during PD, alpha-synuclein has some important physiological functions. Although the activity of the protein has been extensively studied in neurons, the protein is also expressed in other cell types including immune cells and glia. Genetic studies show that mutations in synuclein alpha (SNCA), the gene that encodes alpha-synuclein, and alterations in its expression levels are a significant risk factor for PD, which likely impact the functions of a broad range of cell types. The consequences of altered SNCA expression in other cell types is beginning to be explored. Microglia, the primary macrophage population in the Central Nervous Syst

SUBMITTER: Booms A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8521067 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature