The impact of synaptic vesicle-binding of alpha-synuclein on neuron function and neuropathology

Alpha-synuclein (aSyn) pathology is linked to synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease and Lewy body
dementia, but the underlying disease mechanisms remain poorly understood. The prevalent viewpoint has
emerged that aggregation of aSyn triggers neuropathology through a gain-of-toxic-function mechanism, and
approaches to eliminate aSyn represent an active area of research for treatment. Yet, aSyn aggregation may
also endanger neurons by removing aSyn from synaptic vesicles (its physiologically relevant intracellular
location) and thereby causing loss-of-function. Through its synaptic vesicle-bound state, aSyn regulates
synaptic vesicle trafficking, and chaperones SNARE-complex assembly to maintain neurotransmitter release.
Thus, removing aSyn from neurons may not be protective, but detrimental. The objective in this application is
to determine the impact of synaptic vesicle-binding of aSyn on aSyn function and neuron survival, using
rationally designed variants of aSyn that stabilize synaptic vesicle-binding. The central hypothesis is that
stabilizing binding of aSyn on synaptic vesicles reduces aSyn toxicity and pathology. Guided by strong
preliminary data, this hypothesis will be tested in three specific aims: 1) Determine the effect of increased
synaptic vesicle-binding of aSyn on SNARE-complex assembly; 2) Assess the effect of increased synaptic
vesicle-binding of aSyn on synaptic vesicle cycling; and 3) Test if increased synaptic vesicle-binding of αSyn
rescues neurotoxicity and pathology in vivo. Under the first aim, SNARE-complex assembly will be quantified in
vivo and in vitro, using cell biological and biochemical techniques. Under the second aim, αSyn
multimerization, synaptic vesicle pools and clustering, and synaptic vesicle cycling will be quantified, using cell
biological, biochemical and biophysical techniques. Under the third aim, mouse models will be generated by
stereotactic injections of lentiviral vectors into the substantia nigra of aSyn knockout mice to assess effects of
mutant aSyn variants on αSyn-induced toxicity and pathology, using behavioral assays on mice and
biochemical, histological and ultrastructural analyses on injected brains. The study is expected to show
improved aSyn function and delayed pathology upon stabilization of synaptic vesicle-binding of αSyn. This
research is innovative because it 1) tests the novel hypothesis that stabilizing synaptic vesicle-bound αSyn
reduces aSyn pathology, 2) creates new tools to study function and dysfunction of αSyn, and 3) uses a
multidisciplinary approach to test our hypothesis from single molecules and cellular systems to live mice. This
work is significant, because it will 1) clarify the importance of synaptic vesicle-binding of aSyn for neuron
function, 2) provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of synaptic vesicle-binding of αSyn, 3) uncover
the contribution of loss-of-function of aSyn to disease pathogenesis, and 4) have translational importance for
the development of new treatment strategies aimed at stabilizing synaptic vesicle-bound αSyn.

Grant Number: 5R01NS113960-05
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Jacqueline Burre