Munc18-1 is a molecular chaperone for α-synuclein, controlling its self-replicating aggregation

Date

2016

Authors

Chai, Y.J.
Sierecki, E.
Tomatis, V.M.
Gormal, R.S.
Giles, N.
Morrow, I.C.
Xia, D.
Gotz, J.
Parton, R.G.
Collins, B.M.

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Journal article

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Journal of Cell Biology, 2016; 214(6):705-718

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Abstract

Munc18-1 is a key component of the exocytic machinery that controls neurotransmitter release. Munc18-1 heterozygous mutations cause developmental defects and epileptic phenotypes, including infantile epileptic encephalopathy (EIEE), suggestive of a gain of pathological function. Here, we used single-molecule analysis, gene-edited cells, and neurons to demonstrate that Munc18-1 EIEE-causing mutants form large polymers that coaggregate wild-type Munc18-1 in vitro and in cells. Surprisingly, Munc18-1 EIEE mutants also form Lewy body-like structures that contain α-synuclein (α-Syn). We reveal that Munc18-1 binds α-Syn, and its EIEE mutants coaggregate α-Syn. Likewise, removal of endogenous Munc18-1 increases the aggregative propensity of α-SynWT and that of the Parkinson's disease-causing α-SynA30P mutant, an effect rescued by Munc18-1WT expression, indicative of chaperone activity. Coexpression of the α-SynA30P mutant with Munc18-1 reduced the number of α-SynA30P aggregates. Munc18-1 mutations and haploinsufficiency may therefore trigger a pathogenic gain of function through both the corruption of native Munc18-1 and a perturbed chaperone activity for α-Syn leading to aggregation-induced neurodegeneration.

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Data source: Supplemental materials, http://jcb.rupress.org/highwire/filestream/137745/field_highwire_adjunct_files/0/JCB_201512016_sm.pdf

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Copyright 2016 Chai et al. This article is distributed under the terms of an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike–No Mirror Sites license for the first six months after the publication date (seehttp://www.rupress.org/terms). After six months it is available under a Creative Commons License (Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

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