α-Synuclein antisense transcript SNCA-AS1 regulates synapses- and aging-related genes suggesting its implication in Parkinson's disease

SNCA protein product, alpha-synuclein, is widely renowned for its role in synaptogenesis and implication in both aging and Parkinson's disease (PD), but research efforts are still needed to elucidate its physiological functions and mechanisms of regulation. In this work, we aim to characterize SNCA-AS1, antisense transcript to the SNCA gene, and its implications in cellular processes. The overexpression of SNCA-AS1 upregulates both SNCA and alpha-synuclein and, through RNA-sequencing analysis, we investigated the transcriptomic changes of which both genes are responsible. We highlight how they impact neurites' extension and synapses' biology, through specific molecular signatures. We report a reduced expression of markers associated with synaptic plasticity, and we specifically focus on GABAergic and dopaminergic synapses, for their relevance in aging processes and PD, respectively. A reduction in SNCA-AS1 expression leads to the opposite effect. As part of this signature is co-regulated by the two genes, we discriminate between functions elicited by genes specifically altered by SNCA-AS1 or SNCA's overexpression, observing a relevant role for SNCA-AS1 in synaptogenesis through a shared molecular signature with SNCA. We also highlight how numerous deregulated pathways are implicated in aging-related processes, suggesting that SNCA-AS1 could be a key player in cellular senescence, with implications for aging-related diseases. Indeed, the upregulation of SNCA-AS1 leads to alterations in numerous PD-specific genes, with an impact highly comparable to that of SNCA's upregulation. Our results show that SNCA-AS1 elicits its cellular functions through the regulation of SNCA, with a specific modulation of synaptogenesis and senescence, presenting implications in PD.