α-Synuclein aggregation and Parkinson's disease:: Factors affecting the aggregation of α-synuclein

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most frequent neurodegenerative disorders. alpha-Synuclein was the first "PD gene" to be discovered. The involvement of a-synuclein in PD was first suspected after two different alpha-synuclein mutations were identified in two kindreds with autosomal-dominant PD. However,the discovery that alpha-synuclein is the major component of Lewy bodies-pathological hallmarks of PD, confirmed its role in PD pathogenesis. Pathological aggregation of alpha-synuclein might be responsible for neurodegeneration. Multiple factors have been shown to affect alpha-synuclein aggregation in vitro or in vivo. In addition, soluble oligomers of alpha-synuclein might be even more toxic than the insoluble fibrils found in degenerative diseases. So it is significant to investigate factors affecting a-synuclein aggregation, especially their accurate effects on the aggregation process.