Seminars & Colloquia

Alpha-synuclein: probing the conformations of a polymorphic membrane-binding protein

Liz Rhoades, Yale

Alpha-Synuclein is the primary component of the Lewy body aggregates found in the brain tissue of persons with Parkinson’s Disease. Alpha-synuclein is intrinsically unstructured in solution, though it undergoes a conformational change to predominantly alpha-helical structure upon association with lipid membranes. We use a variety of ultrasensitive fluorescence methods to investigate the effect of membrane composition on the structures and dynamics of membrane-bound alpha-synuclein with the goal of understanding role of conformational plasticity in alpha-synuclein function and misfunction.