Alpha-synuclein

SNCA
Available structures
PDB	Ortholog search: PDBe RCSB
List of PDB id codes
	1XQ8, 2JN5, 2KKW, 2M55, 2X6M, 3Q25, 3Q26, 3Q27, 3Q28, 3Q29, 4BXL, 4R0U, 4R0W, 4RIK, 4RIL, 4ZNN, 5CRW, 2N0A
Identifiers
Aliases	SNCA, NACP, PARK1, PARK4, PD1, synuclein alpha
External IDs	OMIM: 163890; MGI: 1277151; HomoloGene: 293; GeneCards: SNCA; OMA:SNCA - orthologs
Gene location (Human)
Chr.	Chromosome 4 (human)
End	89,838,315 bp
Gene location (Mouse)
Chr.	Chromosome 6 (mouse)
End	60,806,839 bp
RNA expression pattern
	Top expressed in
	trabecular bone; ; orbitofrontal cortex; ; Pons; ; Brodmann area 46; ; endothelial cell; ; Brodmann area 23; ; tendon of biceps brachii; ; postcentral gyrus; ; middle temporal gyrus; ; monocyte;
	Top expressed in
	dentate gyrus of hippocampal formation granule cell; ; subiculum; ; fetal liver hematopoietic progenitor cell; ; nucleus accumbens; ; dorsal striatum; ; barrel cortex; ; anterior amygdaloid area; ; ventral tegmental area; ; hippocampus proper; ; habenula;
	More reference expression data
	; ;
	More reference expression data
Gene ontology
Molecular function	calcium ion binding; protein N-terminus binding; ferrous iron binding; phospholipid binding; metal ion binding; fatty acid binding; oxidoreductase activity; magnesium ion binding; histone binding; zinc ion binding; cysteine-type endopeptidase inhibitor activity involved in apoptotic process; protein binding; kinesin binding; tau protein binding; copper ion binding; microtubule binding; alpha-tubulin binding; phosphoprotein binding; phospholipase D inhibitor activity; beta-tubulin binding; identical protein binding; dynein complex binding; Hsp70 protein binding; cuprous ion binding; enzyme binding; protein domain specific binding; phospholipase binding; actin binding; SNARE binding;
Cellular component	postsynapse; cytoplasm; cytosol; membrane; synapse; extracellular region; mitochondrion; actin cytoskeleton; perinuclear region of cytoplasm; cytoskeleton; nucleus; rough endoplasmic reticulum; ribosome; synaptic vesicle; mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I; platelet alpha granule membrane; terminal bouton; lysosome; Golgi apparatus; intracellular membrane-bounded organelle; growth cone; plasma membrane; axon; cell cortex; inclusion body; nuclear outer membrane; axon terminus; cell junction; cytoplasmic vesicle membrane; extracellular space; supramolecular fiber; soma; mitochondrial outer membrane; mitochondrial inner membrane; mitochondrial intermembrane space; mitochondrial matrix; presynapse; synaptic vesicle membrane;
Biological process	negative regulation of neuron apoptotic process; negative regulation of norepinephrine uptake; response to interleukin-1; response to interferon-gamma; regulation of glutamate secretion; response to magnesium ion; synaptic transmission, dopaminergic; regulation of reactive oxygen species biosynthetic process; positive regulation of protein serine/threonine kinase activity; cellular response to epinephrine stimulus; positive regulation of synaptic transmission; cellular response to copper ion; regulation of synaptic vesicle recycling; activation of cysteine-type endopeptidase activity involved in apoptotic process; response to cocaine; positive regulation of glutathione peroxidase activity; negative regulation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor signaling pathway; negative regulation of serotonin uptake; regulation of dopamine secretion; regulation of long-term neuronal synaptic plasticity; response to iron(II) ion; behavioral response to cocaine; regulation of locomotion; adult locomotory behavior; positive regulation of neurotransmitter secretion; cellular response to fibroblast growth factor stimulus; positive regulation of peptidyl-serine phosphorylation; regulation of acyl-CoA biosynthetic process; positive regulation of endocytosis; synaptic vesicle endocytosis; excitatory postsynaptic potential; regulation of neuronal synaptic plasticity; mitochondrial membrane organization; negative regulation of mitochondrial electron transport, NADH to ubiquinone; chemical synaptic transmission; negative regulation of protein phosphorylation; negative regulation of exocytosis; positive regulation of hydrogen peroxide catabolic process; negative regulation of microtubule polymerization; calcium ion homeostasis; mitochondrial ATP synthesis coupled electron transport; positive regulation of inositol phosphate biosynthetic process; dopamine biosynthetic process; synapse organization; negative regulation of dopamine metabolic process; positive regulation of release of sequestered calcium ion into cytosol; negative regulation of apoptotic process; regulation of reactive oxygen species metabolic process; regulation of neurotransmitter secretion; negative regulation of dopamine uptake involved in synaptic transmission; negative regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II; microglial cell activation; dopamine uptake involved in synaptic transmission; response to lipopolysaccharide; protein destabilization; neutral lipid metabolic process; negative regulation of thrombin-activated receptor signaling pathway; membrane organization; negative regulation of transporter activity; negative regulation of cysteine-type endopeptidase activity involved in apoptotic process; regulation of phospholipase activity; negative regulation of chaperone-mediated autophagy; ageing; receptor internalization; negative regulation of monooxygenase activity; fatty acid metabolic process; dopamine metabolic process; regulation of neuron death; positive regulation of apoptotic process; synaptic vesicle transport; cellular response to oxidative stress; phospholipid metabolic process; negative regulation of histone acetylation; regulation of macrophage activation; positive regulation of receptor recycling; long-term potentiation; apoptotic process; supramolecular fiber organization; regulation of presynapse assembly; positive regulation of inflammatory response; positive regulation of neuron death; negative regulation of neuron death; response to desipramine; regulation of transmembrane transporter activity; regulation of norepinephrine uptake; synaptic vesicle exocytosis; SNARE complex assembly; positive regulation of exocytosis; protein complex oligomerization; protein tetramerization; synaptic vesicle priming;
	Sources:Amigo / QuickGO
Orthologs
	6622
	20617
	ENSG00000145335
	ENSMUSG00000025889
	P37840
	O55042
NM_000345; NM_001146054; NM_001146055; NM_007308; NM_001375285;
	NM_001375286; NM_001375287; NM_001375288; NM_001375290
	NM_001042451; NM_009221
NP_000336; NP_001139526; NP_001139527; NP_009292; NP_001362214;
	NP_001362215; NP_001362216; NP_001362217; NP_001362219
	NP_001035916; NP_033247
	Wikidata
View/Edit Human	View/Edit Mouse

Alpha-synuclein (aSyn) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SNCA gene. It is a neuronal protein involved in the regulation of synaptic vesicle trafficking and the release of neurotransmitters.

Alpha-synuclein is abundant in the brain, with smaller amounts present in the heart, muscles, and other tissues. Within the brain, it is primarily localized to the axon terminals of presynaptic neurons. There, it interacts with phospholipids and other proteins. Presynaptic terminals release neurotransmitters from specialized compartments called synaptic vesicles, a process essential for neuronal communication and normal brain function.

In Parkinson's disease and related synucleinopathies, abnormal, insoluble forms of alpha-synuclein accumulate within neurons as inclusions known as Lewy bodies. Mutations in the SNCA gene are linked to familial forms of Parkinson's disease. During the process of seeded nucleation, alpha-synuclein adopts a cross-beta sheet structure characteristic of amyloid fibrils.

The human alpha-synuclein protein consists of 140 amino acids. A fragment of alpha-synuclein, known as the non-amyloid beta component (NAC) of Alzheimer's disease amyloid, was initially isolated from an amyloid-rich brain fraction and shown to derive from a precursor protein named NACP. NACP was subsequently identified as the human homologue of synuclein from the electric ray genus Torpedo, leading to its renaming as human alpha-synuclein.