Our manuscript titled "The Parkinson’s disease protein alpha-synuclein is a modulator of Processing-bodies and mRNA stability" has been published today in Cell. In this study led by Dr. Erinc Hallacli, we newly showed that alpha-synuclein directly modulates Processing-bodies (P-bodies) that function in mRNA turnover and storage. As alpha-synuclein accumulates, interaction with Edc4 alters and mRNA-decay kinetics within PD-relevant pathways are correspondingly disrupted in PD patient neurons and brain. Genetic modulation of P-body components alters αS toxicity, and human genetic analysis lends support to the disease-relevance of these interactions in PD risk.

News article about the paper: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/09/inching-parkinsons-into-the-light/