Scientists have made a big breakthrough in understanding how a protein linked to Parkinson’s disease changes form inside our cells—transforming from a sticky, honey-like liquid into a tough, rubbery solid.
This change could help explain how the disease develops and progresses, and it may open up new ways to treat it.
The study, led by researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey and published in Science Advances, focused on tiny droplets inside cells called biomolecular condensates.
These droplets don’t have a membrane like most cell parts, but they play an important role in organizing proteins and other molecules inside cells.
Think of them as microscopic blobs that float around and help cells function properly.
One protein that’s often found in these droplets is alpha-synuclein. This protein has long been associated with Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that causes tremors, stiffness, and difficulty with movement.
In people with Parkinson’s, alpha-synuclein tends to misfold and clump together in brain cells, forming toxic structures known as Lewy bodies. These clumps are believed to kill off the brain cells that produce dopamine—a key chemical involved in controlling movement.
Until now, scientists had trouble studying how alpha-synuclein behaves inside living cells. Most earlier studies relied on test tubes, which don’t accurately mimic the complex environment of a living organism.
The new study changed that by creating a way to directly measure what’s happening inside real cells without harming them.
To do this, the researchers developed ultra-tiny tools called micropipettes. These are like miniature glass straws, small enough to interact with individual biomolecular condensates inside cells.
Using these tools, the team was able to gently poke the condensates and suck out a tiny amount of their material.
By observing how the droplets responded—how easily they deformed, how they flowed, and how they held together—the scientists could measure important features like how thick (viscous) or stretchy the material was.
They discovered that when alpha-synuclein levels were high inside the droplets, the once-liquid blobs became more solid, almost like hard candy. This transformation could explain how harmful protein clumps begin to form in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease. It may also offer clues about the earliest stages of the disease, long before symptoms appear.
What makes this research so important is that it marks the first time scientists have been able to measure the material properties of these droplets inside living cells, rather than just in isolated lab conditions.
This new ability opens up fresh possibilities for studying how proteins behave in diseases like Parkinson’s—and perhaps finding ways to prevent or reverse their harmful changes.
The team, including researchers from Germany’s Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, plans to continue this work. By better understanding how these protein blobs form and harden, scientists hope to unlock new paths for treating not just Parkinson’s, but other neurodegenerative diseases as well.
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