SNCA (alpha-synuclein) is a member of the synuclein family, which also includes beta- and gamma-synuclein. Synucleins are abundantly expressed in the brain and alpha- and beta-synuclein inhibit phospholipase D2 selectively. SNCA may serve to integrate presynaptic signaling and membrane trafficking. Defects in SNCA and aggregations of the protein as Lewy bodies/neurites are part of the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple system atrophy. SNCA peptides are a major component of amyloid plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. In normal tissue, SNCA is expressed in presynaptic peripheral nerve terminals in the central nervous system, and has some positivity in bone marrow, the kidney, soft tissue and skin. References: Front Mol Neurosci. 2018; 11: 391, PMID: 30410434; Alzheimers Res Ther. 2014 Oct 27;6(5):73, PMID: 25580161; Parkinsons Dis. 2016; 2016: 1720621, PMID;