The presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein is a prime suspect for contributing to Lewy pathology and clinical aspects of diseases, including Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and a Lewy body variant of Alzheimer's disease. alpha-Synuclein accumulates in Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, and two missense mutations (A53T and A30P) in the alpha-synuclein gene are genetically linked to rare familial forms of Parkinson's disease.
It was reported recently that alpha-synuclein can induce the formation of filamentous tau inclusions, which are characteristic of disorders like Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body variant of Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that a similar mechanism may exist between alpha-synuclein fibrillogenesis and tau polymerization.