A genetic \u2018switch\u2019 has been discovered by MRC researchers at the University of Leicester that could help to prevent or delay the symptoms of Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
In a paper, the team discovered that a gene called ATF4 plays a key role in Parkinson\u2019s disease, acting as a \u2018switch\u2019 for genes that control mitochondrial metabolism for neuron health.<\/p>\n
Dr Miguel Martins from the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester, who led the research, explained: \u201cWhen the expression of ATF4 is reduced in flies, expression of these mitochondrial genes drops. This drop results in dramatic locomotor defects, decreased lifespan, and dysfunctional mitochondria in the brain.<\/p>\n
\u201cInterestingly, when we overexpressed these mitochondrial genes in fly models of Parkinson\u2019s, mitochondrial function was re-established, and neuron loss was avoided.\u201d<\/p>\n
By discovering the gene networks that orchestrate this process, the researchers have singled out new therapeutic targets that could prevent neuron loss.<\/p>\n
Some forms of Parkinson\u2019s are caused by mutations in the genes PINK1 and PARKIN, which are instrumental in mitochondrial quality control.<\/p>\n
Fruit flies with mutations in these genes accumulate defective mitochondria and exhibit Parkinson\u2019s-like changes, including loss of neurons.<\/p>\n
The researchers used PINK1 and PARKIN mutant flies to search for other critical Parkinson\u2019s genes \u2013 and using a bioinformatics approach discovered that the ATF4 gene plays a key role.<\/p>\n
Dr Martins added: \u201cStudying the roles of these genes in human neurons could lead to tailored interventions that could one day prevent or delay the neuronal loss seen in Parkinson\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
The findings build upon recent research by the University of Leicester team, which recently discovered several genes that protect neurons in Parkinson\u2019s disease, creating possibilities for new treatment options.<\/p>\n
University of Leicester\nwww2.le.ac.uk\/offices\/press\/press-releases\/2017\/february\/discovery-of-genetic-2018switch2019-could-help-to-prevent-symptoms-of-parkinson2019s-disease<\/link>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A genetic \u2018switch\u2019 has been discovered by MRC researchers at the University of Leicester that could help to prevent or delay the symptoms of Parkinson\u2019s disease. In a paper, the team discovered that a gene called ATF4 plays a key role in Parkinson\u2019s disease, acting as a \u2018switch\u2019 for genes that control mitochondrial metabolism for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1116"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1116\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}