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Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a way that mutations in a gene2 called LRRK2 may cause the most common inherited form of Parkinson's disease. The study, published online this month in the journal Public Library of Science, shows that upon specific modification3 called phosphorylation(磷酸化作用) , LRRK2 protein binds4 to a family of proteins called 14-3-3, which has a regulatory function inside cells. When there is a mutation1 in LRRK2, 14-3-3 is impaired5, leading to Parkinson's. This finding explains how mutations lead to the development of Parkinson's, providing a new diagnostic and drug target for the disease. Using one-of-a-kind mouse models developed at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Zhenyu Yue, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, and his colleagues, found that several common Parkinson's disease mutations—including one called G2019S—disturb the specific phosphorylation of LRRK2.This impairs6 14-3-3 binding7 with varying degrees, depending on the type of mutation.
"We knew that the LRRK2 mutation triggers a cellular8 response resulting in Parkinson's disease, but we did not know what processes the mutation disrupted," said Dr. Yue. "Now that we know that phosphorylation is disturbed, causing 14-3-3 binding to be impaired, we have a new idea for diagnostic analysis and a new target for drug development."
Dr. Yue's team also identified a potential enzyme9 called protein kinase(蛋白激酶) A (PKA), responsible for the phosphorylation of LRRK2. Although the exact cellular functions disrupted by these changes are unclear, their study provides a starting point for understanding brain signaling that contributes to the disease. Recent studies have shown that 14-3-3 binds to other proteins implicated10 in inherited Parkinson's disease and has a neuroprotective function, and when the binding is impaired due to these mutations, the protection may be lost. The findings also demonstrate additional insight into the functional11 relevance12 of the LRRK2 and 14-3-3 interaction.
The presence of 14-3-3 in spinal13 fluid is already used as a biomarker for the presence of neurodegenerative diseases. Further applications of these findings could point to the use of 14-3-3 as a biomarker in testing for Parkinson's disease.
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1
mutation
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| n.变化,变异,转变 | |
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gene
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| n.遗传因子,基因 | |
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modification
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| n.修改,改进,缓和,减轻 | |
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binds
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| v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 );装订;捆绑;(用长布条)缠绕 | |
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impaired
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| adj.受损的;出毛病的;有(身体或智力)缺陷的v.损害,削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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impairs
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| v.损害,削弱( impair的第三人称单数 ) | |
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binding
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| 有约束力的,有效的,应遵守的 | |
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cellular
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| adj.移动的;细胞的,由细胞组成的 | |
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enzyme
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| n.酵素,酶 | |
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implicated
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| adj.密切关联的;牵涉其中的 | |
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functional
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| adj.为实用而设计的,具备功能的,起作用的 | |
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relevance
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| n.中肯,适当,关联,相关性 | |
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spinal
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| adj.针的,尖刺的,尖刺状突起的;adj.脊骨的,脊髓的 | |
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