Lack of α‐synuclein does not alter apoptosis of neonatal catecholaminergic neurons

Abstract

Abstract α‐Synuclein is an abundant neuronal protein of uncertain function linked to Parkinson's disease. Numerous studies have proposed an antiapoptotic function for α‐synuclein, based on overexpression experiments in cell lines. To explore whether α‐synuclein has such a physiological function, we assessed the response of wild type or α‐synuclein null neonatal mouse sympathetic neurons to nerve growth factor deprivation, a well‐characterized stimulus of neuronal apoptosis. There was no difference in the rate of neuronal loss, neuronal apoptosis, or c‐jun phosphorylation. Furthermore, the absence of α‐synuclein did not alter the magnitude of naturally occurring cell death in vivo in substantia nigra pars compacta. Therefore, α‐synuclein is unlikely to play a significant role in apoptotic signalling in catecholaminergic neurons of the neonatal nervous system.