Chaperone proteins as ameliorators of α-synuclein-induced synaptic pathologies: insights into Parkinson's disease

摘要

α-Synuclein accumulation causes synaptic vesicle trafficking defects and may underlie neurodegenerative disorders:Neurodegenerative disorders,such as Parkinson’s disease(PD)and other synucleinopathies,impact the lives of millions of patients and their caregivers.Synucleinopathies include PD,dementia with Lewy Bodies(DLB),multiple system atrophy,and several Alzheimer’s Disease variants.They are clinically characterized by intracellular inclusions called Lewy Bodies,which are rich in atypical aggregates of the protein α-synuclein.While dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra are particularly susceptible toα-synuclein-induced aggregation and neurodegeneration,glutamatergic neurons in other brain regions(e.g.cortex)are also frequently affected in PD and other synucleinopathies(Schulz-Schaeffer 2010).