HDAC6 regulates aggresome‐autophagy degradation pathway of α‐synuclein in response to MPP+‐induced stress

Increasing evidence suggests that the ubiquitin-binding histone deacetylase-6 (HDAC6) plays an important role in the clearance of misfolded proteins by autophagy. In this study, we treated PC-12 cells over-expressing human mutant (A53T) α-synuclein (α-syn) and SH-SY5Y cells with MPP(+). It was found that HDAC6 expression significantly increased and mainly colocalized with α-syn in the perinuclear region to form aggresome-like bodies. HDAC6 deficiency blocked the formation of aggresome-like bodies and interfered with the autophagy in response to MPP(+)-induced stress. Moreover, misfolded α-syn accumulated into the nuclei, resulting in its reduced clearance, and finally, the number of apoptotic cells significantly increased. Taken together, HDAC6 participated in the degradation of MPP(+)-induced misfolded α-syn aggregates by regulating the aggresome-autophagy pathway. Understanding the mechanism may disclose potential therapeutic targets for synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease.