Target information

Alpha-Synuclein belongs to the Synuclein family, which includes beta and gamma Synuclein, and is predominantly expressed in neurons, and concentrated at synaptic terminals. Synucleins may be involved in the regulation of dopamine release and transport and the modulation of synaptic vesicle function. Alpha-Synuclein is a small, presynaptic protein that is the major nonamyloid component of the pathological inclusions characteristic of a wide range of neurodegenerative disorders, collectively known as synucleinopathies. Alpha-Synuclein is involved in the formation of SNARE complexes, and most significantly, aggregated alpha-synuclein is one of the major components found in the Lewy bodies that occur in Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Mutation of the alpha-synuclein gene is associated with familial forms of PD. Alpha-Synuclein is known to reduce the fibrillization of the microtubule-associated protein, tau, to bind various targets such as 14-3-3, protein kinase C, synphilin-1, Elk and Tat-binding protein 1. The alpha and beta synucleins are found primarily in brain tissue where they are seen mainly in neuronal cytosol and presynaptic terminals. The antibody specific for alpha-synuclein does not cross react with beta-synuclein and will be useful for the confirmation of Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia and other studies for the localization and detection of alpha-synuclein. Four alternatively spliced transcripts that encode two different isoforms of the alpha-synuclein protein have been identified.