Description
Product Characteristics: Alpha-synuclein (SNCA), with 140-amino acid protein (about 15kDa), belongs to the synuclein family, which also includes beta- and gamma-synuclein. SNCA is a soluble protein, expressed principally in the brain but also expressed in low concentrations in all tissues examined (except liver). SNCA is implicated in the regulation of dopamine release and transport. The triplication of the SNCA can cause Parkinson disease (PD) and diffuse Lewy body disease within the same kindred. SNCA peptides are a major component of amyloid plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Immunohistochemistry for SNCA has become the histological technique of choice for the diagnosis for Parkinson's disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies and Multiple System Atrophy.
Target Information: Alpha-synuclein is a member of the synuclein family, which also includes beta- and gamma-synuclein. Synucleins are abundantly expressed in the brain and alpha- and beta-synuclein inhibit phospholipase D2 selectively. SNCA may serve to integrate presynaptic signaling and membrane trafficking. Defects in SNCA have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease. SNCA peptides are a major component of amyloid plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Four alternatively spliced transcripts encoding two different isoforms have been identified for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Mar 2009]