1. [Targeting Transcellular Transport of α-Synuclein for Developing Disease-Modifying Therapies for Synucleinopathy].
- Author
-
Hasegawa T
- Subjects
- Humans, Prions, alpha-Synuclein, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Parkinson Disease, Transcytosis
- Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and it is characterized by progressive physical disability along with a variety of non-motor symptoms. Drugs that replenish dopamine can partly alleviate the motor symptoms; however, they do not cure the disease itself. Therefore, there is an urgent need for disease modifying therapies that would delay or prevent neurodegeneration. Increasing evidence suggests that α-synuclein, a key molecule in PD, is secreted into the extracellular environment and can be transported from cell-to-cell, thereby affecting the physiological state of the neighboring cells in a prion-like manner. Given the potential role of extracellular α-synuclein as the cause of disease progression, its prion-like propagation is a promising target for developing disease-modifying therapies for PD and other synucleinopathies.
- Published
- 2018
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