A mutation in a protein-sorting gene is linked with Parkinson's disease
Thursday, July 14, 2011 - 13:00
in Biology & Nature
Parkinson disease (PD) is a devastating incurable disease in which degeneration of dopamine neurons in the brainstem leads to tremors and problems with movement and coordination. An increasing proportion of patients appear to be genetically predisposed to disease. Now, two independent research groups have identified a mutation associated with an inherited form of PD. The papers, published by Cell Press in the July 9 issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics, provide new insight into the pathogenesis of late-onset PD and present compelling evidence that implicates a novel protein-recycling pathway in neurodegeneration.