Scientists have discovered that a tiny protein linked to brain diseases may also play an unexpected role in skin cancer.
The protein, called alpha-synuclein, has been studied for many years because of its connection to Parkinson’s disease. Now, new research suggests that it may also help melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer, grow and spread.
The study was carried out by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and published in the journal Science Advances. It reveals that the same protein can behave very differently depending on where it is in the body. In brain cells, it can contribute to cell damage and death. In skin cancer cells, it may help harmful cells survive and multiply.
Alpha-synuclein is best known for its role in Parkinson’s disease. In that condition, the protein builds up inside brain cells and forms sticky clumps called Lewy bodies.
These clumps damage nerve cells that control movement, leading to symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, and difficulty walking. Scientists have long tried to understand why this protein becomes harmful in the brain.
Dr. Vivek Unni, a neurologist and lead author of the new study, has spent years studying alpha-synuclein. In earlier work, his team found that the protein has an important job inside healthy brain cells.
It helps repair damage to DNA, which is the genetic material that carries instructions for how cells function. DNA damage happens naturally over time, and cells must constantly fix these breaks to survive.
In neurons, which are brain cells that are meant to last a lifetime, this repair process is especially important. If DNA damage builds up and cannot be repaired, the cells may die.
The researchers found that when alpha-synuclein leaves the cell’s nucleus, where DNA repair takes place, neurons lose their ability to fix this damage and eventually break down. This helps explain why nerve cells die in Parkinson’s disease.
However, the new study found that in melanoma cells, alpha-synuclein behaves in the opposite way. Instead of leaving the nucleus, it stays there and continues repairing DNA damage. At first, this might sound helpful.
But in cancer, damaged cells are supposed to die so they cannot spread. By repairing the DNA too well, the protein allows these unhealthy cells to survive when they should not.
Melanoma develops when skin cells begin growing out of control. Normally, skin cells grow, age, and die in a balanced cycle that keeps the skin healthy. When cancer forms, this balance is lost. The researchers discovered that alpha-synuclein helps melanoma cells keep repairing themselves, allowing them to continue dividing and forming tumors.
Inside the nucleus, the protein works with another molecule called 53BP1, which also helps fix broken DNA. Together, they act like a repair team, patching damage that would normally stop cancer cells from surviving. This process may allow melanoma to grow faster and become more dangerous.
The discovery also helps explain why Parkinson’s disease and melanoma sometimes occur in the same people. A protein that causes damage in one type of cell may protect another type, depending on how it behaves. This unusual link between a brain disease and a skin cancer has puzzled doctors for years.
Understanding this dual role could lead to new treatments. For melanoma, scientists may try to reduce the activity of alpha-synuclein so cancer cells cannot repair themselves so easily. For Parkinson’s disease, the goal might be the opposite—to help the protein stay in the nucleus so it can protect brain cells from DNA damage.
Researchers are also exploring whether boosting the helper protein 53BP1 could protect neurons without affecting alpha-synuclein directly. This approach might reduce the risk of side effects while still improving DNA repair in brain cells.
Although more research is needed, this discovery shows how complex the human body is. A single protein can act as both a protector and a threat, depending on the situation. By learning how alpha-synuclein works in different tissues, scientists hope to design treatments that target diseases more precisely.
This study offers new hope for understanding two serious conditions at once. It also reminds us that answers to major health problems sometimes come from unexpected connections. As scientists continue to explore this protein’s behavior, future therapies may help slow Parkinson’s disease, fight melanoma, or even prevent both.
If you care about skin health, please read studies about top signs of diabetic skin disease, and Mediterranean diet could help lower the skin cancer risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies about eating fish linked to higher risk of skin cancer, and results showing how to combat the effects of aging on your skin.
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