Beta-synuclein
Encyclopedia
Beta-synuclein is a protein
that in humans is encoded by the SNCB gene
.
Beta-synuclein is a synuclein
protein
found primarily in brain tissue and is seen mainly in presynaptic terminals. Beta-synuclein is predominantly expressed in the neocortex
, hippocampus
, striatum
, thalamus
, and cerebellum
. It is not found in Lewy bodies
, but it is associated with hippocampal pathology in Parkinson's disease
and dementia with Lewy bodies
.
Beta-synuclein is suggested to be an inhibitor of alpha-synuclein
aggregation, which occurs in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease
. Thus, beta-synuclein may protect the central nervous system
from the neurotoxic
effects of alpha-synuclein and provide a novel treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
that in humans is encoded by the SNCB gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
.
Beta-synuclein is a synuclein
Synuclein
Synucleins are a family of soluble proteins common to vertebrates, primarily expressed in neural tissue and in certain tumors.- Family members :The synuclein family includes three known proteins: alpha-synuclein, beta-synuclein, and gamma-synuclein...
protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
found primarily in brain tissue and is seen mainly in presynaptic terminals. Beta-synuclein is predominantly expressed in the neocortex
Neocortex
The neocortex , also called the neopallium and isocortex , is a part of the brain of mammals. It is the outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres, and made up of six layers, labelled I to VI...
, hippocampus
Hippocampus
The hippocampus is a major component of the brains of humans and other vertebrates. It belongs to the limbic system and plays important roles in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory and spatial navigation. Humans and other mammals have two hippocampi, one in...
, striatum
Striatum
The striatum, also known as the neostriatum or striate nucleus, is a subcortical part of the forebrain. It is the major input station of the basal ganglia system. The striatum, in turn, gets input from the cerebral cortex...
, thalamus
Thalamus
The thalamus is a midline paired symmetrical structure within the brains of vertebrates, including humans. It is situated between the cerebral cortex and midbrain, both in terms of location and neurological connections...
, and cerebellum
Cerebellum
The cerebellum is a region of the brain that plays an important role in motor control. It may also be involved in some cognitive functions such as attention and language, and in regulating fear and pleasure responses, but its movement-related functions are the most solidly established...
. It is not found in Lewy bodies
Lewy body
Lewy bodies are abnormal aggregates of protein that develop inside nerve cells in Parkinson's disease , Lewy Body Dementia and some other disorders. They are identified under the microscope when histology is performed on the brain....
, but it is associated with hippocampal pathology in Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
and dementia with Lewy bodies
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Dementia with Lewy bodies , also known under a variety of other names including Lewy body dementia, diffuse Lewy body disease, cortical Lewy body disease, and senile dementia of Lewy type, is a type of dementia closely allied to both Alzheimers and Parkinson's Diseases...
.
Beta-synuclein is suggested to be an inhibitor of alpha-synuclein
Alpha-synuclein
Alpha-synuclein is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the SNCA gene. An alpha-synuclein fragment, known as the non-Abeta component of Alzheimer's disease amyloid, originally found in an amyloid-enriched fraction, is shown to be a fragment of its precursor protein, NACP, by cloning of the...
aggregation, which occurs in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. Thus, beta-synuclein may protect the central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
from the neurotoxic
Neurotoxicity
Neurotoxicity occurs when the exposure to natural or artificial toxic substances, which are called neurotoxins, alters the normal activity of the nervous system in such a way as to cause damage to nervous tissue. This can eventually disrupt or even kill neurons, key cells that transmit and process...
effects of alpha-synuclein and provide a novel treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.