Investigation of the synergistic role of PLK2 and alpha-synuclein in the regulation of neuronal homeostasis and functions

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Recent Progress: Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is a small soluble protein localized at presynaptic terminals in the central nervous system. Although this protein is abundantly expressed in the brain (1% of total cytosolic protein), its exact physiological functions remain unknown. In the past decade, there has been an increasing interest for the role of phosphorylation in the regulation of α-syn normal function in vivo. In this context, our recent work identified Polo-like kinases (Plks) as the main kinases responsible for α-syn phosphorylation in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we reported that Plk2, a member of Plk family, regulates α-syn selective clearance via the autophagy degradation pathway. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying Plk2-mediated α-syn clearance and the exact synergistic physiological role of these two proteins remain unknown.