Chaperoning the SNAREs: a role in preventing neurodegeneration?

Despite their potential importance as therapeutic targets, the initial events in neurodegenerative diseases are poorly understood. Emerging evidence suggests that presynaptic dysfunction might be an early event in these pathologies, and three papers now link dysregulation of SNARE protein levels and function caused by the absence of synuclein or cysteine string protein (CSP) to activity-dependent neurodegeneration.