A new sense a hope rises from Washington. Researchers have finally come up with a significant discovery that could probably lead us to a way for a new treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
The research particularly focuses on an enzyme, known by the name parkin. An early onset of the disease Parkinson is caused basically due to the absence of this enzyme.
Even after all the research done, the reason behind how the loss of this enzyme kills the neurons is still behind the curtains.
The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) researchers stated that the enzyme, parkin’s loss excessively reduces the level of another protein that performs the task of protecting neurons from stress.
TSRI Professor Steven I. Reed, who was the senior author of the new study stated, “We now have a good model for how parkin loss can lead to the deaths of neurons under stress”.
He added, “This also suggests a therapeutic strategy that might work against Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases”.
More information on Parkinson’s disease
The enzyme parkin is associated to a family of enzymes called ubiquitin ligases. The foremost function of these enzymes is to regulate and maintain the level of other proteins.
These enzymes follow a method of doing so. They regulate the level of proteins by linking their protein targets with the ubiquitin molecules , hence marking them for disposal by weaving protein-breakers in cells known as proteasomes.
As we know that parkin belongs to ubiquitin ligase, the researchers have made an assumption that the absence of the enzyme causes some other proteins to evade proteasomal destruction and thus it accumulates abnormally and harms the neurons.
The research is published online in the journal Molecular and Cell Biology.
