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Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopaminiergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the presence of Lewy Bodies, the main structural component of which is the protein alpha synuclein. Little is known about the structure and function of alpha synuclein with the exception of its tendency to polymerize and form aggregates, the molecular mechanisms of which remain unknown. This aggregation is accelerated in the presence of Dopamine and its metabolites. With my project I am seeking to answer the question of what domains in this protein interact itself and with this catacholamine to form these aggregations. I am doing this by exposing recombinant versions of alpha synuclein to Dopamine and its MAO product, DOPAL, both in test tube and in transfected neuroblastoma cells to observe the effect of the mutations and of the catechol on polymerization.

Last updated August 26, 2008