Parkinson's disease genes VPS35 and EIF4G1 interact genetically and converge on alpha-synuclein. Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common human neurodegenerative movement disorder. Studies of the genetic forms of PD have helped to reveal disease mechanisms. Functional interactions between some Parkinson's disease (PD) genes, like PINK1 and parkin, have been identified, but whether other ones interact remains elusive. Here we report an unexpected genetic interaction between two PD genes, VPS35 and EIF4G1. We provide evidence that EIF4G1 upregulation causes defects associated with protein misfolding. Expression of a sortilin protein rescues these defects, downstream of VPS35, suggesting a potential role for sortilins in PD. We also show interactions between VPS35, EIF4G1 and alpha-synuclein, a protein with a key role in the pathogenesis of both sporadic and familial PD. We extend our findings from yeast to an animal model and show these interactions are conserved in neurons. We also connect VPS35 impairments to neurodegeneration in alpha-synuclein transgenic mice. Our studies reveal unexpected genetic and functional interactions between two seemingly unrelated PD genes and functionally connect them to alpha-synuclein pathobiology in yeast, worms, and mouse. Finally, we provide a resource of candidate PD genes for future genetic and functional interrogation. Overall design: Ribosome profiling (RiboSeq) of wild type and VPS35 deletion yeast strains, with or without overexpression of the TIF4631 initiation factor