Abstract 1196 Pathogenicity Assessment of Three Newer a-Synuclein Mutants Under Varying Expression Levels in Yeast Reveals Differential Toxicity

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the death of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. This selective cell death is linked with the misfolding and accumulation of the protein, a-synuclein. Six a-synuclein mutants previously linked with early-onset familial PD (A30P, E46K, H50Q, G51D, A53T, A53E) are extensively well-studied for their mechanism of toxicity. In contrast, three newer a-synuclein mutants linked with familial and sporadic PD (A18T, A29S, and A53V) are less well-understood for their underlying toxicity mechanisms.