Alpha-synuclein is a protein that is abundant in the brain and its dysfunction is known to be a key player in the pathway that leads to the neuro-degenerative disease of Parkinson’s. This protein becomes a problem in the neurons of the brain and can lead to Parkinson’s when it is either created with improper structure due to a mistake in the DNA or the protein’s is altered once it is created from the DNA sequence by another intracellular compound. Alpha-synuclein, as the name implies, is normally in the form of an alpha helix which is essentially a long thin strand of twisting amino acids put together in a similar fashion to the classic image of DNA we all think of. If the DNA sequence that codes for the alpha-synuclein protein is even slightly out of order you can get a mutation that causes the protein to take a completely different shape known as the beta-sheet. This shape of a protein is very different than an alpha-helix, as the name implies it is when the amino acids of the protein come together in a sheet like formation, similar to a piece of paper. In the case of Parkinson’s this becomes a problem because in this beta sheet formation the proteins are able pack closely together, like a ream of paper, and create these protein aggregates that cause the neurological problems that we see in Parkinson’s. Another way that the alpha-synuclein protein could be modified to be formed in beta sheets instead of an alpha-helix would be through direct modification by another cellular component. One type of compound that could cause this would be peroxynitrite, which is an oxidizing compound, meaning that an oxygen type of molecule will react chemically with another compound and change it usually for the worse. This is why we here so many things about food products with antioxidants being so good, because the idea is that they will prevent this oxidation of important components of your cells. Back to the protein, if the protein is oxidized and the structure of it changes it too can also end up in a beta-sheet formation which like I have previously mentioned would lead to the aggregation of these proteins into large masses that eventually become Lewy Bodies and cause a lot of problems in the neurons of the brain.
