Cell-to-cell transmission of intracellular protein aggregates is considered a central event in many neurodegenerative diseases, but little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. A new study employs fluorescence quenching to examine the fate of α-synuclein, a key molecule in the pathology of Parkinson's disease and related disorders, in primary cultured neurons, finding that endocytosis and lysosomal processing of exogenous fibrils may explain the transmission of α-synuclein pathology.
© 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.