Increased Expression of α-Synuclein Reduces Neurotransmitter Release by Inhibiting Synaptic Vesicle Reclustering after Endocytosis

SummaryThe protein α-synuclein accumulates in the brain of patients with sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD), and increased gene dosage causes a severe, dominantly inherited form of PD, but we know little about the effects of synuclein that precede degeneration. α-Synuclein localizes to the nerve terminal, but the knockout has little if any effect on synaptic transmission. In contrast, we now find that the modest overexpression of α-synuclein, in the range predicted for gene multiplication and in the absence of overt toxicity, markedly inhibits neurotransmitter release. The mechanism, elucidated by direct imaging of the synaptic vesicle cycle, involves a specific reduction in size of the synaptic vesicle recycling pool. Ultrastructural analysis demonstrates reduced synaptic vesicle density at the active zone, and imaging further reveals a defect in the reclustering of synaptic vesicles after endocytosis. Increased levels of α-synuclein thus produce a specific, physiological defect in synaptic vesicle recycling that precedes detectable neuropathology.

► Overexpression of α-synuclein inhibits neurotransmitter release
► α-Synuclein overexpression reduces synaptic vesicle recycling pool size
► Mice overexpressing α-synuclein have reduced synaptic vesicle density
► α-Synuclein overexpression inhibits the reclustering of synaptic vesicles