Artist's rendering of a brain cell damaged by amyloid beta plaque in Alzheimer's disease
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Researchers have discovered more about PINK1, a protein that’s directly tied to Parkinson’s disease. A team from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Australia has shown how the protein attaches to cell mitochondria, which produces energy. The team’s findings could open up new treatment options, researchers said.
“This is a significant milestone for research into Parkinson’s,” David Komander, a researcher at the school’s Parkinson’s Disease Research Center, said in a statement. “It is incredible to finally see PINK1 and understand how it binds to mitochondria. Our structure reveals many new ways to change PINK1, essentially switching it on, which will be life-changing for people with Parkinson’s.”
The report was published Thursday in Science.
The PINK1 protein supports cell survival by detecting damaged mitochondria and tagging them for removal. When mitochondria are damaged, they stop making energy and release toxins into a cell. PINK1 signals through a small protein called ubiquitin that the broken mitochondria need to be removed. The PINK1 ubiquitin signal is unique to damaged mitochondria. But when PINK1 is mutated, as is in the case of Parkinson’s disease, broken mitochondria build up in cells.
Researchers have long desired to know more about using PINK1 as a target for potential drug therapies. The team hopes to leverage this knowledge to develop a drug that could slow or stop Parkinson’s disease in those who have a PINK1 mutation, which also is linked to Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease.