Time: 14:00-15:30 on Sat.,April.29, 2023

Venue：E109, Biomedicine Hall

Speaker: Dr.Chao Peng

Host: Dr.Song-Hai Shi

Title:  Transmission and Conformational Diversity of Pathological α-Synuclein in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Abstract：

Transmission of pathological α-synuclein in the central nervous system is a key process for the progression of a group of neurodegenerative diseases collectively known as α-synucleinopathies, including Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy body, multiple system atrophy and ~50% Alzheimer’s disease. Pathological α-synuclein conformational diversity contributes significantly to the clinical and pathological diversity of α-synucleinopathies. Our study focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of pathological α-synuclein transmission and conformation diversity in α-synucleinopathies. We find that the distinct intracellular environment of neurons and glial cells lead to the development of different pathological α-synuclein conformations in diseased brains, which provides critical insights into the origin of pathological α-synuclein conformational diversity. More recently, we identified soluble α-synuclein post-translational modifications as a critical mechanism to modulate the transmission of pathological α-synuclein.

Biography：

Dr. Peng received his Ph.D. degree from Fudan University. He obtained a broad background in biomedical science during his Ph.D. training, with his research ranging from developing new genetic tools to exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying central nervous system development. During postdoc training, his great interest in neurodegenerative diseases drove his transition from basic science to neurodegenerative diseases. He was trained with leaders of the field, Dr. Virginia Lee and Dr. John Trojanowski, to study the transmission and conformational diversity of pathological proteins in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly pathological α-synuclein. He is interested in and obtained extensive training in analyzing the molecular mechanisms regulating pathological α-synuclein transmission and exploring the origin of conformational diversity of pathological α-synuclein. He established new methods to purify pathological α-synuclein from diseased brains and developed various cutting-edge animal and cell models to perform detailed analysis of their properties. In 2020, Dr. Peng joined University of California, Los Angeles, as a tenure-track assistant professor. In his independent laboratory, he explores various mechanisms that modulate pathological α-synuclein and tau transmission and conformational diversity in neurodegenerative diseases.