Binding of Aβ to α- and β-synucleins: identification of segments in α-synuclein/NAC precursor that bind Aβ and NAC

Abstract

NAC, a 35-residue peptide derived from the neuronal protein α-synuclein/NAC precursor, is tightly associated with Aβ fibrils in Alzheimer's disease amyloid, and α-synuclein has recently been shown to bind Aβ in vitro. We have studied the interaction between Aβ and synucleins, aiming at determining segments in α-synuclein that can account for the binding, as well as identifying a possible interaction between Aβ and the β-type synuclein. We report that Aβ binds to native and recombinant α-synuclein, and to β-synuclein in an SDS-sensitive interaction (IC50 approx. 20 μM), as determined by chemical cross-linking and solid-phase binding assays. α-Synuclein and β-synuclein were found to stimulate Aβ-aggregation in vitro to the same extent. The synucleins also displayed Aβ-inhibitable binding of NAC and they were capable of forming dimers. Using proteolytic fragmentation of α-synuclein and cross-linking to 125I-Aβ, we identified two consecutive binding domains (residues 1–56 and 57–97) by Edman degradation and mass spectrometric analysis, and a synthetic peptide comprising residues 32–57 possessed Aβ-binding activity. To test further the possible significance in pathology, α-synuclein was biotinylated and shown to bind specifically to amyloid plaques in a brain with Alzheimer's disease. It is proposed that the multiple Aβ-binding sites in α-synuclein are involved in the development of amyloid plaques.