Mutations That Cause Parkinson's Disease Prevent Cells from Destroying Defective Mitochondria

- Mutations that cause Parkinson's disease prevent cells from destroying defective mitochondria
-Mitochondria are often dysfunctional in Parkinson's disease, but how Parkin stimulates mitophagy and whether the pathway goes wrong during pathogenesis is unknown
-Researchers found that cells expressing mutant forms of Parkin failed to clear their mitochondria after the organelles were damaged.
- Both pathways rely on microtubules, HDAC6, and p62,providing a common link between the two main features of the neurodegenerative disorder.
-The clearance of defective mitochondria is proven to be similar to the removal of damaged proteins.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100510121215.htm

Picture: http://www.topnews.in/health/files/Parkinsons-disease2.jpg

Citation: Rockefeller University Press. "Mutations That Cause Parkinson's Disease Prevent Cells from Destroying Defective Mitochondria." ScienceDaily 10 May 2010. 17 May 2010 .