image: Human melanoma cell immunostained for α-synuclein (purple) and melanosomes (Pmel17, teal). White areas indicate colocalization of α-synuclein with melanosomes view more
Credit: Image credit: Dexter N. Dean.
A study of human melanoma cells finds that the amyloid protein α-synuclein, found in aggregates in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease, is also present in melanosomes, the structures in skin that produce melanin, and can modulate the formation of protein fibrils involved in melanin synthesis, suggesting a molecular link in the epidemiologically observed association between Parkinson's disease and melanoma.
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Article #20-09702: "Defining an amyloid link Between Parkinson's disease and melanoma," Dexter N. Dean and Jennifer C. Lee.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer C. Lee, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD; e-mail: <leej4@nhlbi.nih.gov>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences