A small protein that scientists usually connect with brain diseases like Parkinson’s might also have a surprising link to skin cancer.
A new study from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) shows that this protein, called alpha-synuclein, may act very differently in brain cells and skin cancer cells. The research was published in the journal Science Advances.
In the brain, alpha-synuclein is known for forming clumps called Lewy bodies, which damage brain cells and lead to diseases like Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia. But this new research shows that the same protein may help skin cancer grow—specifically a dangerous form called melanoma.
Dr. Vivek Unni, a brain doctor and lead author of the study, has studied this protein for many years. In 2019, his team found that alpha-synuclein actually helps fix DNA damage in brain cells. This repair job helps brain cells survive. But if this repair process fails, brain cells die and diseases like Parkinson’s can develop.
In this new study, the scientists looked at skin cancer cells instead of brain cells. They found that alpha-synuclein still worked to fix DNA, but it was almost too good at it. Normally, skin cells grow and die in a natural cycle.
But in melanoma, that cycle breaks down. Alpha-synuclein stays in the center of the skin cancer cell—the nucleus—and continues to fix DNA damage. By doing this, it helps damaged cells stay alive when they should die. These cells keep growing, which leads to cancer.
The protein doesn’t work alone. In skin cancer cells, it also brings in another helper protein called 53BP1. Together, they repair broken DNA. But this “super repair team” may actually be helping cancer grow by saving cells that should have died.
In brain cells with Parkinson’s, the situation is very different. Alpha-synuclein leaves the nucleus and forms harmful clumps. This means the DNA does not get repaired, and the cell can die. Brain cells are meant to live a very long time, so losing the protein’s help in fixing DNA is a big problem.
This study helps explain why some people seem to develop both Parkinson’s disease and melanoma. The same protein is involved in both diseases, but it behaves differently depending on the type of cell. This dual role gives scientists new ideas for treatment.
In the future, doctors may be able to create drugs that lower the protein’s activity in cancer cells or boost its helpful role in brain cells. One idea is to increase the helper protein 53BP1 in brain cells without using alpha-synuclein. This might help fix DNA damage without causing side effects.
In short, this research gives new hope for finding better treatments for both Parkinson’s and melanoma. It shows how one small protein can have big effects—either saving cells or letting them grow out of control.
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