Beyond neurodegenerative diseases: alpha-synuclein in erythropoiesis

alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) is a highly conserved and thermostable protein that is widely distributed in human brain. An intracellular aggregation of alpha-syn in dopaminergic neurons is the hallmark of a group of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease. Interestingly, alpha-syn is also highly expressed in red blood cells and is considered as one of the most abundant proteins in red blood cells. Moreover, alpha-syn is thought to play a regulatory role during normal erythropoiesis. However, whether alpha-syn participates in the pathogenesis of erythroid diseases has not been reported. In this review, we discuss the protein structure of alpha-syn and the importance of alpha-syn in erythropoiesis.