Tubulin seeds α-synuclein fibril formation

Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that α-synuclein is a common pathogenic molecule in several neurodegenerative diseases, particularly in Parkinson's disease. To understand α-synuclein pathology, we investigated molecules that interact with α-synuclein in human and rat brains and identified tubulin as an α-synuclein binding/associated protein. Tubulin co-localized with α-synuclein in Lewy bodies and other α-synuclein-positive pathological structures. Tubulin initiated and promoted α-synuclein fibril formation under physiological conditions in vitro. These findings suggest that an interaction between tubulin and α-synuclein might accelerate α-synuclein aggregation in diseased brains, leading to the formation of Lewy bodies.