Chaperone-mediated autophagy controls the degradation of selective cytosolic proteins and may protect neurons against degeneration. In a neuronal cell line, we found that chaperone-mediated autophagy regulated the activity of myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D), a transcription factor required for neuronal survival. MEF2D was observed to continuously shuttle to the cytoplasm, interact with the chaperone Hsc70, and undergo degradation. Inhibition of chaperone-mediated autophagy caused accumulation of inactive MEF2D in the cytoplasm. MEF2D levels were increased in the brains of a-synuclein transgenic mice and patients with Parkinson's disease. Wild-type α-synuclein and a Parkinson's disease-associated mutant disrupted the MEF2D-Hsc70 binding and led to neuronal death. Thus, chaperone-mediated autophagy modulates the neuronal survival machinery, and dysregulation of this pathway is associated with Parkinson's disease
Titolo: | Regulation of Neuronal Survival Factor MEF2D by Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy | |
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Data di pubblicazione: | 2009 | |
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Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1166088 | |
Handle: | http://hdl.handle.net/11384/10482 | |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 1.1 Articolo in rivista |