Multiomic Analysis Reveals Molecular Pathways Associated with Intestinal Aggregation of α-Synuclein.

Aggregates of the protein α-synuclein may initially form in the gut before propagating to the brain in Parkinson's disease. Indeed, our prior work supports that enteroendocrine cells, specialized intestinal epithelial cells, could play a key role in the development of this disease. Enteroendocrine cells natively express α-synuclein and synapse with enteric neurons as well as the vagus nerve.