VAMP2 chaperones α-synuclein in synaptic vesicle co-condensates

Abstract

α-Synuclein (α-Syn) aggregation is closely associated with Parkinson’s disease neuropathology. Physiologically, α-Syn promotes synaptic vesicle (SV) clustering and soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex assembly. However, the underlying structural and molecular mechanisms are uncertain and it is not known whether this function affects the pathological aggregation of α-Syn. Here we show that the juxtamembrane region of vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2)—a component of the SNARE complex that resides on SVs—directly interacts with the carboxy-terminal region of α-Syn through charged residues to regulate α-Syn’s function in clustering SVs and promoting SNARE complex assembly by inducing a multi-component condensed phase of SVs, α-Syn and other components. Moreover, VAMP2 binding protects α-Syn against forming aggregation-prone oligomers and fibrils in these condensates. Our results suggest a molecular mechanism that maintains α-Syn’s function and prevents its pathological amyloid aggregation, the failure of which may lead to Parkinson’s disease. Agarwal et al. and Wang et al. show that vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2) interacts with and regulates alpha-synuclein biomolecular condensation, affecting α-synuclein function, which may prevent pathological amyloid aggregation.