Combination of liquid crystal and deep learning reveals distinct signatures of Parkinson's disease-related wild-type α-synuclein and six pathogenic mutants.

Journal: Chemistry, an Asian journal
PMID:

Abstract

α-Synuclein is a central player in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology. Various point mutations in α-synuclein have been identified to alter the protein-phospholipid binding behavior and cause PD. Therefore, exploration of α-synuclein-phospholipid interaction is important for understanding the PD pathogenesis and helping the early diagnosis of PD. Herein, a phospholipid-decorated liquid crystal (LC)-aqueous interface is constructed to investigate the binding between α-synucleins (wild-type and six familial mutant A30P, E46K, H50Q, G51D, A53E and A53T) and phospholipid. The application of deep learning analyzes and reveals distinct LC signatures generated by the binding of α-synuclein and phospholipid. This system allows for the identification of single point mutant α-synucleins with an average accuracy of 98.3±1.3% in a fast and efficient manner. We propose that this analytical methodology provides a new platform to understand α-synuclein-lipid interactions, and can be potentially developed for easy identification of α-synuclein mutations in common clinic.

Authors

  • Xiuxiu Yang
    Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China.
  • Xiaofang Zhao
    Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Ministry of Science and Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, P. R. China.
  • Hansen Zhao
    Beijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and Instrumentation, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China.
  • Fengwei Liu
    Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Ministry of Science and Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, P. R. China.
  • Sichun Zhang
    Beijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and Instrumentation, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China.
  • Claire Xi Zhang
    Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Ministry of Science and Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, P. R. China.
  • Zhongqiang Yang
    Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.