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=15

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=<p>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 <italic>via</italic> 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.</p>