WDR44 drives de novo α-synuclein aggregation at the lysosomal membrane and promotes neuronal dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

The aggregation of -synuclein (-SYN) into Lewy bodies (LBs) is a central event in the pathogenesis of Parkinsons disease (PD) and related synucleinopathies1,2. Despite significant advances in understanding -SYN self-assembly, the precise sequence of early aggregation steps has not been directly visualized in living neurons. Here, we use an optogenetic-induced protein aggregation system with a high temporal resolution to monitor the onset of -SYN assembly in neurons. We found that the initiation and accumulation of -SYN aggregates occur predominantly at the lysosomal membrane, an event driven by the -SYN N-terminus and modulated by the membrane-associated adaptor protein WD repeat-containing protein 44 (WDR44). Remarkably, we demonstrate that WDR44 knockdown markedly reduced de novo -SYN aggregation in both neuronal cultures and in vivo, whereas WDR44 overexpression enhances -SYN aggregation in PD patient-derived iPSC neurons. Consistent with its potential pathogenic involvement, WDR44 aberrantly accumulates in vivo and in the brains of PD patients, where it colocalizes with LB inclusions. Finally, we show that lysosome-associated -SYN aggregates compromised lysosomal structure and function, leading to neuronal impairment, a phenotype worsened by WDR44 overexpression, linking early aggregation events to downstream toxicity. Together, these findings reveal the earliest dynamic stages of -SYN oligomerization in living neurons and identify the WDR44--SYN interaction as a promising therapeutic target for reducing -SYN pathology and enabling early intervention in PD.