Genetic Code Expansion, Enzymatic Modification, and C-Terminal Labeling Enable Facile Production of Highly Modified α-Synuclein

Research overview

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α-Synuclein (αS), a protein that plays a central role in Parkinson’s disease and related synucleinopathies, is an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) whose functional interactions and aggregation behavior can be strongly influenced by post-translational modifications (PTMs). Phosphorylation, acetylation, and other PTMs regulate αS’s interactions with lipid membranes and binding partners, whereas their dysregulation is associated with aggregation and neuronal toxicity. Despite significant progress through chemical and semi-synthetic approaches, investigating the combinatorial effects of PTMs has remained challenging due to the lack of accessible, site-specific methods. Here, we present an integrated strategy combining genetic code expansion, enzymatic modification, and intein-mediated click chemistry to generate αS variants bearing multiple defined PTMs and a C-terminal fluorescent label. The resulting constructs enable direct evaluation of how individual and combined PTMs influence αS structure, lipid binding, and cellular internalization. Our approach expands the molecular toolkit for dissecting PTM crosstalk in αS and other aggregation-prone IDPs, advancing mechanistic understanding and supporting the development of therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative disease.

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