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Synuclein
Synucleins are a family of soluble proteins common to vertebrates, primarily expressed in neural tissue and in certain tumors. The name is a blend of the words "synapse" and "nucleus", as it was first found in the synapses in the electromotor nucleus of the electric ray. Family members The synuclein family includes three known proteins: alpha-synuclein, beta-synuclein, and gamma-synuclein. Interest in the synuclein family began when alpha-synuclein was found to be mutated in several families with autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease. All synucleins have in common a highly conserved alpha-helical lipid-binding motif with similarity to the class-A2 lipid-binding domains of the exchangeable apolipoproteins. Synuclein family members are not found outside vertebrates, although they have some conserved structural similarity with plant 'late-embryo-abundant' proteins. *Alpha-synuclein * Beta-synuclein * Gamma-synuclein Function Normal cellular functions have not been d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alpha-synuclein
Alpha-synuclein is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the ''SNCA'' gene. Alpha-synuclein is a neuronal protein that regulates synaptic vesicle trafficking and subsequent neurotransmitter release. It is abundant in the brain, while smaller amounts are found in the heart, muscle and other tissues. In the brain, alpha-synuclein is found mainly in the axon terminals of presynaptic neurons. Within these terminals, alpha-synuclein interacts with phospholipids and proteins. Presynaptic terminals release chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, from compartments known as synaptic vesicles. The release of neurotransmitters relays signals between neurons and is critical for normal brain function. The human alpha-synuclein protein is made of 140 amino acids. An alpha-synuclein fragment, known as the non- Abeta component (NAC) of Alzheimer's disease amyloid, originally found in an amyloid-enriched fraction, was shown to be a fragment of its precursor protein, NACP. It was late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SNCB (gene)
Beta-synuclein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SNCB'' gene. The protein encoded by this gene is highly homologous to alpha-synuclein. These proteins are abundantly expressed in the brain and putatively inhibit phospholipase D2 selectively. The encoded protein, which may play a role in neuronal plasticity, is abundant in neurofibrillary lesions of patients with Alzheimer's disease. This protein has been shown to be highly expressed in the substantia nigra of the brain, a region of neuronal degeneration in patients with Parkinson's disease; however, no direct relation to Parkinson's disease has been established. Two transcript variants encoding the same protein have been found for this gene. Beta-synuclein is a synuclein protein found primarily in brain tissue and is seen mainly in presynaptic terminals. Beta-synuclein is predominantly expressed in the neocortex, hippocampus, striatum, thalamus, and cerebellum. It is not found in Lewy bodies, but it is associated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SNCG
Gamma-synuclein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SNCG'' gene. Synuclein-gamma is a member of the synuclein family of proteins, which are believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. High levels of SNCG have been identified in advanced breast carcinomas suggesting a correlation between overexpression of SNCG and breast tumor development. Gamma-synuclein is a synuclein protein found primarily in the peripheral nervous system (in primary sensory neurons, sympathetic neurons, and motor neurons) and retina. It is also detected in the brain, ovarian tumors, and in the olfactory epithelium. Gamma-synuclein is the least conserved of the synuclein proteins. Gamma-Synucleins expression in breast tumors is a marker for tumor progression as mammalian gamma-synuclein was first identified as breast cancer-specific gene 1 (BCSG1). A change in the expression of gamma-synuclein has been observed in the retina of patients with Alzheimer's disease ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamma-synuclein
Gamma-synuclein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SNCG'' gene. Synuclein-gamma is a member of the synuclein family of proteins, which are believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. High levels of SNCG have been identified in advanced breast carcinomas suggesting a correlation between overexpression of SNCG and breast tumor development. Gamma-synuclein is a synuclein protein found primarily in the peripheral nervous system (in primary sensory neurons, sympathetic neurons, and motor neurons) and retina. It is also detected in the brain, ovarian tumors, and in the olfactory epithelium. Gamma-synuclein is the least conserved of the synuclein proteins. Gamma-Synucleins expression in breast tumors is a marker for tumor progression as mammalian gamma-synuclein was first identified as breast cancer-specific gene 1 (BCSG1). A change in the expression of gamma-synuclein has been observed in the retina of patients with Alzheimer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms become more common. The most obvious early symptoms are tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty with walking. Cognitive and behavioral problems may also occur with Depression (mood), depression, anxiety, and apathy occurring in many people with PD. Parkinson's disease dementia becomes common in the advanced stages of the disease. Those with Parkinson's can also have problems with their sleep and sensory systems. The motor symptoms of the disease result from the death of cells in the substantia nigra, a region of the midbrain, leading to a dopamine deficit. The cause of this cell death is poorly understood, but involves the build-up of protein, misfolded proteins into Lewy bodies in the neurons. Collectively, the main motor sym ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamma-synuclein
Gamma-synuclein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SNCG'' gene. Synuclein-gamma is a member of the synuclein family of proteins, which are believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. High levels of SNCG have been identified in advanced breast carcinomas suggesting a correlation between overexpression of SNCG and breast tumor development. Gamma-synuclein is a synuclein protein found primarily in the peripheral nervous system (in primary sensory neurons, sympathetic neurons, and motor neurons) and retina. It is also detected in the brain, ovarian tumors, and in the olfactory epithelium. Gamma-synuclein is the least conserved of the synuclein proteins. Gamma-Synucleins expression in breast tumors is a marker for tumor progression as mammalian gamma-synuclein was first identified as breast cancer-specific gene 1 (BCSG1). A change in the expression of gamma-synuclein has been observed in the retina of patients with Alzheimer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peripheral Membrane Proteins
Peripheral membrane proteins, or extrinsic membrane proteins, are membrane proteins that adhere only temporarily to the biological membrane with which they are associated. These proteins attach to integral membrane proteins, or penetrate the peripheral regions of the lipid bilayer. The regulatory protein subunits of many ion channels and transmembrane receptors, for example, may be defined as peripheral membrane proteins. In contrast to integral membrane proteins, peripheral membrane proteins tend to collect in the water-soluble component, or fraction, of all the proteins extracted during a protein purification procedure. Proteins with GPI anchors are an exception to this rule and can have purification properties similar to those of integral membrane proteins. The reversible attachment of proteins to biological membranes has shown to regulate cell signaling and many other important cellular events, through a variety of mechanisms. For example, the close association between many enz ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lewy Body
Lewy bodies are the inclusion bodies – abnormal aggregations of protein – that develop inside nerve cells affected by Parkinson's disease (PD), the Lewy body dementias ( Parkinson's disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)), and some other disorders. They are also seen in cases of multiple system atrophy, particularly the parkinsonian variant (MSA-P). Lewy bodies appear as spherical masses in the cytoplasm that displace other cell components. For instance, some Lewy bodies tend to displace the nucleus to one side of the cell. There are two main kinds of Lewy bodies: classical and cortical. Lewy bodies may be found in the midbrain (within the substantia nigra) or within the cortex. A classical Lewy body is an eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusion consisting of a dense core surrounded by a halo of 10-nm-wide radiating fibrils, the primary structural component of which is alpha-synuclein. History In 1910, Fritz Heinrich Lewy was studying in Berlin for his doct ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protein Families
A protein family is a group of evolutionarily related proteins. In many cases, a protein family has a corresponding gene family, in which each gene encodes a corresponding protein with a 1:1 relationship. The term "protein family" should not be confused with family as it is used in taxonomy. Proteins in a family descend from a common ancestor and typically have similar three-dimensional structures, functions, and significant sequence similarity. The most important of these is sequence similarity (usually amino-acid sequence), since it is the strictest indicator of homology and therefore the clearest indicator of common ancestry. A fairly well developed framework exists for evaluating the significance of similarity between a group of sequences using sequence alignment methods. Proteins that do not share a common ancestor are very unlikely to show statistically significant sequence similarity, making sequence alignment a powerful tool for identifying the members of protein famil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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