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Structural basis of membrane disruption and cellular toxicity by α-synuclein oligomers

2017; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Volume: 358; Issue: 6369 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1126/science.aan6160

1095-9203

Giuliana Fusco, Serene W. Chen, Philip T. F. Williamson, Roberta Cascella, Michele Perni, James A. Jarvis, Cristina Cecchi, Michele Vendruscolo, Fabrizio Chiti, Nunilo Cremades, Liming Ying, Christopher M. Dobson, Alfonso De Simone,

Neurological disorders and treatments

A structural look at α-synuclein oligomers Fibrillar aggregates of the protein α-synuclein (αS) are the major constituents of Lewy bodies in Parkinson's disease. However, small oligomers that accumulate during the process of fibril formation are thought to cause the neuronal toxicity associated with the onset and progression of Parkinson's disease. Little is known about the detailed structural properties of αS oligomers and the molecular mechanisms that lead to their toxicity. Fusco et al. report the structural characterization of two forms of αS oligomers, which elucidates the fundamental structural elements giving rise to neuronal toxicity. Science , this issue p. 1440