Alpha-synuclein, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease.

Alpha synuclein (alpha-SN) is a ubiquitous protein that is especially abundant in the brain and has been postulated to play a central role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we show that alpha-SN plays dual role of neuroprotection and neurotoxicity depending on its concentration or level of expression. In addition, our study shows that alpha-synuclein is differentially expressed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. PD patients expressed more alpha-synuclein than healthy controls. Thus, the alpha-synuclein expression in the peripheral immune system might be one of the primary causes of immune abnormalities in PD patients.