AF-6 is a positive modulator of the PINK1/parkin pathway and is deficient in Parkinson's disease.

Parkin E3 ubiquitin-ligase activity and its role in mitochondria homeostasis are thought to play a role in Parkinson's disease (PD). We now report that AF-6 is a novel parkin interacting protein that modulates parkin ubiquitin-ligase activity and mitochondrial roles. Parkin interacts with the AF-6 PDZ region through its C-terminus. This leads to ubiquitination of cytosolic AF-6 and its degradation by the proteasome. On the other hand, endogenous AF-6 robustly increases parkin translocation and ubiquitin-ligase activity at the mitochondria. Mitochondrial AF-6 is not a parkin substrate, but rather co-localizes with parkin and enhances mitochondria degradation through PINK1/parkin-mediated mitophagy. On the other hand, several parkin and PINK1 juvenile disease-mutants are insensitive to AF-6 effects. AF-6 is present in Lewy bodies and its soluble levels are strikingly decreased in the caudate/putamen and substantia nigra of sporadic PD patients, suggesting that decreased AF-6 levels may contribute to the accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria in the disease. The identification of AF-6 as a positive modulator of parkin translocation to the mitochondria sheds light on the mechanisms involved in PD and underscores AF-6 as a novel target for future therapeutics.

α-Synuclein fate is determined by USP9X-regulated monoubiquitination.

α-Synuclein is central to the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease (PD). Mutations as well as accumulation of α-synuclein promote the death of dopaminergic neurons and the formation of Lewy bodies. α-Synuclein is monoubiquitinated by SIAH, but the regulation and roles of monoubiquitination in α-synuclein biology are poorly understood. We now report that the deubiquitinase USP9X interacts in vivo with and deubiquitinates α-synuclein. USP9X levels are significantly lower in cytosolic fractions of PD substantia nigra and Diffuse Lewy Body disease (DLBD) cortices compared to controls. This was associated to lower deubiquitinase activity toward monoubiquitinated α-synuclein in DLBD cortical extracts. A fraction of USP9X seems to be aggregated in PD and DLBD, as USP9X immunoreactivity is detected in Lewy bodies. Knockdown of USP9X expression promotes accumulation of monoubiquitinated α-synuclein species and enhances the formation of toxic α-synuclein inclusions upon proteolytic inhibition. On the other hand, by manipulating USP9X expression levels in the absence of proteolytic impairment, we demonstrate that monoubiquitination controls the partition of α-synuclein between different protein degradation systems. Deubiquitinated α-synuclein is mostly degraded by autophagy, while monoubiquitinated α-synuclein is preferentially degraded by the proteasome. Moreover, monoubiquitination promotes the degradation of α-synuclein, whereas deubiquitination leads to its accumulation, suggesting that the degradation of deubiquitinated α-synuclein by the autophagy pathway is less efficient than the proteasomal one. Lower levels of cytosolic USP9X and deubiquitinase activity in α-synucleinopathies may contribute to the accumulation and aggregation of monoubiquitinated α-synuclein in Lewy bodies. Our data indicate that monoubiquitination is a key determinant of α-synuclein fate.

Synphilin-1A inhibits seven in absentia homolog (SIAH) and modulates alpha-synuclein monoubiquitylation and inclusion formation.

Parkinson disease (PD) is characterized by the presence of ubiquitylated inclusions and the death of dopaminergic neurons. Seven in absentia homolog (SIAH) is a ubiquitin-ligase that ubiquitylates alpha-synuclein and synphilin-1 and is present in Lewy bodies of PD patients. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate the ubiquitylation of PD-related proteins might shed light on the events involved in the formation of Lewy bodies and death of neurons. We show in this study that the recently described synphilin-1 isoform, synphilin-1A, interacts in vitro and in vivo with the ubiquitin-protein isopeptide ligase SIAH and regulates its activity toward alpha-synuclein and synphilin-1. SIAH promotes limited ubiquitylation of synphilin-1A that does not lead to its degradation by the proteasome. SIAH also increases the formation of synphilin-1A inclusions in the presence of proteasome inhibitors, supporting the participation of ubiquitylated synphilin-1A in the formation of Lewy body-like inclusions. Synphilin-1A/SIAH inclusions recruit PD-related proteins, such as alpha-synuclein, synphilin-1, Parkin, PINK1, and UCH-L1. We found that synphilin-1A robustly increases the steady-state levels of SIAH by decreasing its auto-ubiquitylation and degradation. In addition, synphilin-1A blocks the ubiquitylation and degradation of the SIAH substrates synphilin-1 and deleted in colon cancer protein. Furthermore, synphilin-1A strongly decreases the monoubiquitylation of alpha-synuclein by SIAH and the formation of alpha-synuclein inclusions, supporting a role for monoubiquitylation in alpha-synuclein inclusion formation. Our results suggest a novel function for synphilin-1A as a regulator of SIAH activity and formation of Lewy body-like inclusions.

Monoubiquitylation of alpha-synuclein by seven in absentia homolog (SIAH) promotes its aggregation in dopaminergic cells.

alpha-Synuclein plays a major role in Parkinson disease. Unraveling the mechanisms of alpha-synuclein aggregation is essential to understand the formation of Lewy bodies and their involvement in dopaminergic cell death. alpha-Synuclein is ubiquitylated in Lewy bodies, but the role of alpha-synuclein ubiquitylation has been mysterious. We now report that the ubiquitin-protein isopeptide ligase seven in absentia homolog (SIAH) directly interacts with and monoubiquitylates alpha-synuclein and promotes its aggregation in vitro and in vivo, which is toxic to cells. Mass spectrometry analysis demonstrates that SIAH monoubiquitylates alpha-synuclein at lysines 12, 21, and 23, which were previously shown to be ubiquitylated in Lewy bodies. SIAH ubiquitylates lysines 10, 34, 43, and 96 as well. Suppression of SIAH expression by short hairpin RNA to SIAH-1 and SIAH-2 abolished alpha-synuclein monoubiquitylation in dopaminergic cells, indicating that endogenous SIAH ubiquitylates alpha-synuclein. Moreover, SIAH co-immunoprecipitated with alpha-synuclein from brain extracts. Inhibition of proteasomal, lysosomal, and autophagic pathways, as well as overexpression of a ubiquitin mutant less prone to deubiquitylation, G76A, increased monoubiquitylation of alpha-synuclein by SIAH. Monoubiquitylation increased the aggregation of alpha-synuclein in vitro. At the electron microscopy level, monoubiquitylated alpha-synuclein promoted the formation of massive amounts of amorphous aggregates. Monoubiquitylation also increased alpha-synuclein aggregation in vivo as observed by increased formation of alpha-synuclein inclusion bodies within dopaminergic cells. These inclusions are toxic to cells, and their formation was prevented when endogenous SIAH expression was suppressed. Our data suggest that monoubiquitylation represents a possible trigger event for alpha-synuclein aggregation and Lewy body formation.

Synphilin-1A: an aggregation-prone isoform of synphilin-1 that causes neuronal death and is present in aggregates from alpha-synucleinopathy patients.

alpha-Synucleinopathies are a group of neurological disorders characterized by the presence of intracellular inclusion bodies containing alpha-synuclein. We previously demonstrated that synphilin-1 interacts with alpha-synuclein, implying a role in Parkinson's disease. We now report the identification and characterization of synphilin-1A, an isoform of synphilin-1, which has enhanced aggregatory properties and causes neurotoxicity. The two transcripts encoding synphilin-1A and synphilin-1 originate from the SNCAIP gene but differ in both their exon organization and initial reading frames used for translation. Synphilin-1A binds to alpha-synuclein and induces the formation of intracellular aggregates in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, primary neuronal cultures, and human dopaminergic cells. Overexpression of synphilin-1A in neurons results in striking cellular toxicity that is attenuated by the formation of synphilin-1A inclusions, which recruit alpha-synuclein. Synphilin-1A is present in Lewy bodies of patients with Parkinson's disease and Diffuse Lewy Body disease, and is observed in detergent-insoluble fractions of brain protein samples obtained from Diffuse Lewy Body disease patients. These findings suggest that synphilin-1A may contribute to neuronal degeneration in alpha-synucleinopathies and also provide important insights into the role of inclusion bodies in neurodegenerative disorders.