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Report: Nanoplastic-induced lysosomal membrane remodeling may sequester WDR44, creating a 'hotspot' for α-synuclein aggregation initiation.

Original title: Report: Nanoplastic-induced lysosomal membrane remodeling may sequester WDR44, creating a 'hotspot' for α-synuclein aggregation initiation. - PathMap Publication #000076

Open MIND 2026
Joshua Dungan

Summary

Tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) that get inside our cells may collect in a part of the cell called the lysosome, which normally acts like a trash-disposal unit. This buildup appears to trap a specific protein and create a "hotspot" that could kick off the clumping of alpha-synuclein — a protein whose abnormal buildup is linked to Parkinson's disease. This is an early, computational finding rather than proof in humans, but it raises important questions about whether everyday plastic exposure could play a role in brain diseases.

PathMap Literature Based Discovery Engine Publication Report This report was generated by PathMap. The underlying dataset and raw JSON traces can be found at the related Dataset DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21496501 For more publications, datasets, and custom research, and other opportunities visit PathMap.org. Tags Attractor Table Extracted Keywords & Entities Nanoplastics internalization, _gates_from_nanoplastics_internalization, Lysosomal accumulation, _gates_to_lysosomal_accumulation, _gates_from_lysosomal_accumulation, Lysosomal Membranes, _gates_to_lysosomal_membranes, WDR44, _gates_from_wdr44, WDR44 protein, _gates_from_wdr44_protein, Protein Aggregation, _gates_to_protein_aggregation, Anionic Nanoplastics, _gates_from_anionic_nanoplastics, Lysosomal Membrane, _gates_to_lysosomal_membrane, _gates_from_lysosomal_membrane, _gates_to_wdr44, Nanoparticles, _gates_from_nanoparticles, α-synuclein aggregation, _gates_to_α-synuclein_aggregation, Plastics, _gates_from_plastics, Membrane Lipids, _gates_to_membrane_lipids, _gates_from_membrane_lipids, alpha-Synuclein, _gates_to_alpha-synuclein

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