NeuralCipher Research overview
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Cell-to-cell transmission of misfolding-prone α-Synuclein (α-Syn) has emerged as a key pathological event in Parkinson’s disease. This process is initiated when α-Syn-bearing fibrils enter cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Using a CRISPR-mediated knockout screen, we identify SLC35B2 and Myosin-7B (MYO7B) as critical endocytosis regulators for α-Syn p re f ormed f ibrils (PFF). We show that SLC35B2, as a key regulator of heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) biosynthesis, is essential for recruiting α-Syn PFF to the cell surface because this process is mediated by interactions between negatively charged sugar moieties of HSPGs and clustered K-T-K motifs in α-Syn PFF. By contrast, MYO7B regulates α-Syn PFF entry by maintaining a plasma-membrane-associated actin network that controls membrane dynamics. Without MYO7B or actin filaments, many clathrin-coated pits fail to be severed from the membrane, causing accumulation of large clathrin-containing ‘scars’ on the cell surface. Intriguingly, the requirement for MYO7B in endocytosis is only restricted to α-Syn PFF and other cargos that enter cells via HSPGs. Thus, by identifying new regulatory factors for α-Syn PFF endocytosis, our study defines a mechanistically distinct clathrin-mediated endocytosis pathway that requires additional force generated by MYO7B and actin filaments. Significance The spreading of misfolded protein aggregates such as α-Synuclein preformed fibrils (α-Syn PFF) from cell to cell is a pathologic hallmark associated with the progression of many neurodegenerative diseases, but it is unclear how mammalian cells take up these large protein aggregates to initiate this prion-like protein transmission process. Here we define the mechanism of α-Syn PFF endocytosis using a combination of genetic, biochemical, and live-cell imaging techniques. Our study reveals how α-Syn PFF binds to the cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans using two lysine-bearing motifs and then enters cells following a Myosin-7B- and actin-dependent endocytosis mechanism that is specifically tailored for polycation-bearing cargos.
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