| Description | Encoded by human SNCG Gene (Synuclein Family), the highly conserved 127-amino acid 13 kD cytoplasmic gamma-Synuclein is similar to the amyloid protein nonamyloid beta fragment and to alpha-synuclein and beta-synuclein. The gamma-synuclein protein is the least conserved of the synuclein proteins. The human gamma-synuclein is 87.7% and 83.8% identical to the mouse and rat proteins, respectively, which are 4-amino acids shorter. As for the alpha- and beta-synuclein proteins, the region of highest homology is the amino-terminal region. The synuclein proteins contain several repeated domains that display variations of a KTKEGV consensus sequence. This motif, repeated six to seven times in the amino-terminal portion of the protein, is reminiscent of the alpha-helical domains of the apolipoproteins and suggests lipid binding properties. The very high conservation between species for a specific repeated domain of a particular protein suggests that the repeated domains have arisen from the duplication of a single domain within an ancestral synuclein gene. Later, this ancestral gene may have undergone successive duplications to give rise to the three synuclein genes in which the repeated domains may still be able to diverge. The third domain, however, remained absolutely identical, KTKEGV, in all genes throughout all species. The same type of domain is present in proteins of the rho family. However, as of today, the role of these domains remains unknown. |
| Expression | Mammalian gamma-synuclein was first identified as the so-called Breast Cancer-Specific Gene 1 (BCSG1) in a high-throughput direct differential-cDNA-sequencing screen for markers of breast cancer. Northern blot analysis showed that the gene is principally expressed in the brain, particularly in the substantia nigra. The protein is expressed in the peripheral nervous system, mainly in primary sensory neurons, sympathetic neurons, and motor neurons. Synuclein gamma was also detected in ovarian tumors, and in the olfactory epithelium. A sequence dubbed synoretin was independently isolated from ocular tissues in a screen for novel proteins regulating phototransduction and is now thought to represent the bovine ortholog of gamma-synuclein. SNCG is expressed in brain, heart, skeletal muscle, ovary, testis, colon, spleen, pancreas, kidney and lung. |
| Localisation | The three human synuclein genes are expressed in the thalamus, the substantia nigra, the caudate nucleus, and the amygdala. Only gamma-synuclein appears strongly expressed in the subthalamic nucleus. Although gamma-synuclein is not present in senile plaques, Lewy bodies or neurofibrillary tangles, a high level of gamma-synuclein immunoreactivity is detectable in dot-like structures which are characteristic axonal lesions in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. SNCG mRNA and gamma-synuclein protein were also detected in unstimulated and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated cultured lymphocytes from peripheral blood of normal donors. It has been shown previously by in situ hybridization that SNCG/BCSG1 mRNA is not expressed in normal adult breast tissue, but high levels of this mRNA are present in advanced infiltrating breast tumours. In paraformaldehyde fixed cells, SNCG displayed punctuate cytoplasmic staining, a pattern that is usually associated with markers of the endoplasmic reticulum or vesicular structures. It was also found that gamma-synuclein was not co-localized with cytokeratin, actin or tubulin arrays in these cells. |
| Function | The normal cellular function of gamma-synuclein is as yet unknown, but interestingly exogenous expression of the protein increases the invasive and metastatic potential of breast tumors. The highly conserved N-terminal region is known to be important for the lipid interactions of the synucleins and the highly acidic C-terminal region has been suggested to possess chaperone-like activity, to regulate the aggregation of synucleins and to mediate proteinprotein interactions. It seems that gamma-synuclein plays a role in neurofilament network integrity and may modulate axonal architecture, also, it may increase the susceptibility of neurofilament-H to calcium-dependent proteases and may also modulate the keratin network in skin. Phosphorylation by GRK5 appears to occur on residues distinct from other kinase target residues. Synuclein gamma is likely involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and SNCG is expressed at very high level in advanced infiltrating breast cancer. Sequence analysis suggests that the protein from tumour cells (BCSG1) is different from the protein expressed in the nervous system (cDNA clones 1 and 4C) and that coded by the genomic clone W6H. Substitution of two lysines by glutamates in BCSG1 changes the overall charge of the persyn molecule and disturbs EKTKEGV repeats that are highly conserved in the synuclein family. Such changes should have serious consequences for protein structure and function. The dual role of SNCG in neurodegeneration and malignancy could involve common mechanisms. Changes in organization of the cell cytoskeleton are among the most prominent characteristics of both processes. The involvement of gamma-synuclein in regulating neurofilament network integrity raises the possibility that it may also affect the intermediate filament network in malignant breast epithelial cells. |
| Homology | There are currently almost 200 DNA and protein sequences in the sequence databases with high homology to the synuclein gene or protein. All synuclein sequences available to date from Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, and Rattus norvegicus can be assigned to three distinct protein groups: alpha beta and gamma-synuclein. Synuclein proteins have also been identified in other organisms: synelfin is the alpha-synuclein ortholog in Serinus, phosphoneuroprotein 14 (PNP14) is the beta-synuclein ortholog in Bos taurus, and the first synuclein protein described in Torpedo californica corresponds to the human gamma-synuclein. Interestingly, no homologous proteins have yet been identified in Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae,Caenorhabditis elegans, or Drosophila melanogaster. Each of the three family members is composed of an N-terminal lipid-binding domain, containing a series of 11-residue imperfect repeats, and an acidic C-terminal domain. Among the human family members, gamma-synuclein 50% identical and 74% homologous to alpha- synuclein and 47% identical and 66% homologous beta-synuclein The highly conserved N-terminal region is known to be important for the lipid interactions of the synucleins and the highly acidic C-terminal region has been suggested to possess chaperone-like activity, to regulate the aggregation of synuclein and to mediate protein-protein interactions. The very high degree of conservation in the lipid-binding N-terminal domains of all three synucleins strongly suggests that both beta and gamma-synuclein like alpha-synuclein bind to lipid membranes and adopt a highly helical structure. Nevertheless, differences in the sequences of the three proteins in both their N-terminal and C-terminal domains must be responsible for those differences that do exist in their individual functions, as well as for their different roles in disease. |
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