Arpine Sokratian

This study reports the atomic structure of mouse α-synuclein fibrils and shows they differ structurally and functionally from human fibrils linked to Parkinson's and MSA.

The paper shows that gut mucosal cells can transfer alpha-synuclein to the vagus nerve, suggesting a non-neuronal source of fibrillar alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease.

The paper identifies six novel α-synuclein fibril assemblies from cerebrospinal fluid samples and shows they have distinct functional properties despite no single structural feature predicting their function.

The paper shows that α-synuclein fibrils activate LRRK2 kinase in monocyte-derived macrophages, linking LRRK2 mutations to pro-inflammatory responses in Parkinson's disease.