Ricerc@Sapienza

Alpha, ? and ? synucleins (syns) have been identified in the nervous system of mammals and biochemical evidence suggest a crucial role for ?-syn in the pathogenesis of several human neurodegenerative diseases. Our research is focused on the molecular expression and morphological localization of syns in the nervous system of representative species with the aim of understanding the evolutionary history of these proteins in vertebrates [1, 2]. Current model for our comparative analysis is the adult stage of the South African clawed frog Xenopus laevis.

Metal ions are key elements in organisms' life acting like cofactors of many enzymes but they can also be potentially dangerous for the cell participating in redox reactions that lead to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Any factor inducing or limiting a metal dyshomeostasis, ROS production and cell injury may contribute to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases or play a neuroprotective action.