C-terminal calcium binding of α-synuclein modulates synaptic vesicle interaction

Authors:

Lautenschläger, J., Stephens, A. D., Fusco, G., Ströhl, F., Curry, N., Zacharopoulou, M., ... & Schierle, G. S. K.

Keywords:

Molecular neuroscience, Neuroscience

Abstract:

Alpha-synuclein is known to bind to small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) via its N terminus, which forms an amphipathic alpha-helix upon membrane interaction. Here we show that calcium binds to the C terminus of alpha-synuclein, therewith increasing its lipid-binding capacity. Using CEST-NMR, we reveal that alpha-synuclein interacts with isolated synaptic vesicles with two regions, the N terminus, already known from studies on SUVs, and additionally via its C terminus, which is regulated by the binding of calcium. Indeed, dSTORM on synaptosomes shows that calcium mediates the localization of alpha-synuclein at the pre-synaptic terminal, and an imbalance in calcium or alpha-synuclein can cause synaptic vesicle clustering, as seen ex vivo and in vitro. This study provides a new view on the binding of alpha-synuclein to synaptic vesicles, which might also affect our understanding of synucleinopathies.

< Back to publications

Full article >