N-acetylatedα-synuclein(αSyn)has long been established as an intrinsically disordered protein associated with a dysfunctional role in Parkinson’s disease.In recent years,a physiologically relevant,higher order conf...N-acetylatedα-synuclein(αSyn)has long been established as an intrinsically disordered protein associated with a dysfunctional role in Parkinson’s disease.In recent years,a physiologically relevant,higher order conformation has been identified as a helical tetramer that is tailored by buried hydrophobic interactions and is distinctively aggregation resistant.The canonical mechanism by which the tetramer assembles remains elusive.As novel biochemical approaches,computational methods,pioneering purification platforms,and powerful imaging techniques continue to develop,puzzling information that once sparked debate as to the veracity of the tetramer has now shed light upon this new counterpart inαSyn neurobiology.Nuclear magnetic resonance and computational studies on multimericαSyn structure have revealed that the protein folding propensity is controlled by small energy barriers that enable large scale reconfiguration.Alternatively,familial mutations ablate tetramerization and reconfigure polymorphic fibrillization.In this review,we will discuss the dynamic landscape ofαSyn quaternary structure with a focus on the tetrameric conformation.展开更多
基金supported in part by Award No.18-7(to HRL)from the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases Research Award Fund,administered by the Virginia Center on Aging
文摘N-acetylatedα-synuclein(αSyn)has long been established as an intrinsically disordered protein associated with a dysfunctional role in Parkinson’s disease.In recent years,a physiologically relevant,higher order conformation has been identified as a helical tetramer that is tailored by buried hydrophobic interactions and is distinctively aggregation resistant.The canonical mechanism by which the tetramer assembles remains elusive.As novel biochemical approaches,computational methods,pioneering purification platforms,and powerful imaging techniques continue to develop,puzzling information that once sparked debate as to the veracity of the tetramer has now shed light upon this new counterpart inαSyn neurobiology.Nuclear magnetic resonance and computational studies on multimericαSyn structure have revealed that the protein folding propensity is controlled by small energy barriers that enable large scale reconfiguration.Alternatively,familial mutations ablate tetramerization and reconfigure polymorphic fibrillization.In this review,we will discuss the dynamic landscape ofαSyn quaternary structure with a focus on the tetrameric conformation.
