AUTHOR=Liu Cencen , Zhao Yunfei , Xi Huan , Jiang Jie , Yu Yang , Dong Wei TITLE=The Membrane Interaction of Alpha-Synuclein JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2021 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fncel.2021.633727 DOI=10.3389/fncel.2021.633727 ISSN=1662-5102 ABSTRACT=

A presynaptic protein closely related to Parkinson's disease (PD), α-synuclein (α-Syn), has been studied extensively regarding its pathogenic mechanisms. As a physiological protein in presynapses, however, α-Syn's physiological function remains unclear. Its location in nerve terminals and effects on membrane fusion also imply its functional role in synaptic transmission, including its possible interaction with high-curvature membranes via its N-terminus and amorphous C-terminus. PD-related mutants that disrupt the membrane interaction (e.g., A30P and G51D) additionally suggest a relationship between α-Syn's pathogenic mechanisms and physiological roles through the membrane binding. Here, we summarize recent research on how α-Syn and its variants interact with membranes and influence synaptic transmission. We list several membrane-related connections between the protein's physiological function and the pathological mechanisms that stand to expand current understandings of α-Syn.