Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0030567 (Parkinson's disease)
 63,064 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The Lewy body, an eosinophilic inclusion around 10 microns in diameter, is localised in the neuronal perikaryon. Its dense core is surrounded by a clear halo, which is lacking in the so-called "cortical Lewy bodies". Numerous proteins have been identified in Lewy bodies, among which the three neurofilament isoforms, ubiquitin and proteasome subunits. More recently, alpha-synuclein--a pre-synaptic protein--has been found to be the essential constituent of the Lewy body. Alpha-synuclein antibody has greatly increased the sensitivity of the neuropathological examination: it has emphasized the frequency of "Lewy neurites" (accumulation of alpha--synuclein in neuronal processes) and has shown the importance of extra-nigral pathology. Lewy bodies and neurites are indeed to be found in many areas of the central and peripheral nervous system: stellate ganglia, cardiac and enteric plexus, pigmented nuclei of the brainstem, basal nucleus of Meynert, amygdala, limbic nuclei of the thalamus, parahippocampal and cingulate gyri, insula and isocortex. Lewy body diseases include at least three clinical syndromes: 1) idiopathic Parkinson disease in which the brainstem bears the brunt of the pathology 2) Parkinson disease dementia in which Lewy lesions are found in the brainstem and are also abundant in the isocortex. A large number of senile plaques is frequently associated. 3) In dementia with Lewy bodies, the same lesions are observed but the cognitive deficit occurs first or shortly (less than one year) after the motor symptoms.
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PMID:[Lewy bodies, a misleading marker for Parkinson's disease?]. 1455 41

In the majority of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), it is now clear that genetic factors contribute to the pathogenesis of PD, although the contribution of genetic and environmental factors remains to be elucidated. The contribution of genetic factors to the pathogenesis of PD is supported by the demonstration of the high concordance in twins, increased risk among relatives of PD patients in case control and family studies, and the existence of familial PD based on single gene defects. Recently, several genes have been mapped and identified in patients with familial PD (FPD). alpha-Synuclein is involved in a rare dominant form of familial PD with dopa responsive parkinsonian features and Lewy body positive pathology. In contrast, parkin is responsible for autosomal recessive form of earlyonset PD with Lewy body-negative pathology. This form is identified with world-wide distribution among patients with young-onset PD. Furthermore, ubiquitin carboxy terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) gene is responsible for an autosomal dominant form of typical PD, although only a single family has so far been identified with a mutation of this gene. In addition, DJ-1 has been identified as a causative gene for PARK7, a recessive form of familial PD. Now, a total of five causative genes including NR4A2 have been identified, and others such as PARK3, -4, -6, -8, -9, -10 have been mapped as hereditary forms of familial PD. The presence of different loci or different causative genes indicates that PD is not a single entity but a highly heterogeneous disorder. However, the functions of causative genes may share a common pathway such as an ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Thus, identification and elucidation of the causative genes should enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of not only familial PD, but also sporadic PD.
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PMID:Familial Parkinson's disease: a hint to elucidate the mechanisms of nigral degeneration. 1457 18

In Parkinson's disease, characteristic pathological features are the cell death of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons and the formation of Lewy bodies composed of oxidized proteins. Mitochondrial dysfunction and aggregation of abnormal proteins have been proposed to cause the pathological changes. However, the relation between these two factors remains to be clarified. In this study, the effects of mitochondrial dysfunction on the oxidative modification and accumulation of proteins were analyzed using an inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, rotenone, and antibodies against acrolein- and dityrosine-modified proteins. Under conditions inducing mainly apoptosis in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, rotenone markedly increased oxidized proteins, especially those modified with acrolein, even though the increase in intracellular reactive oxygen and nitrogen species was only transient and was not so marked. In addition, the activity of the proteasome system degrading oxidized proteins was reduced profoundly after treatment with rotenone. The 20S beta subunit of proteasome was modified with acrolein, to which other acrolein-modified proteins were found to bind, as shown by coprecipitation with the antibody against 20S beta subunit. These results suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction, especially decreased activity of complex I, may reduce proteasome activity through oxidative modification of proteasome itself and aggregation with other oxidized proteins. This mechanism might account for the accumulation of modified protein and, at least partially, for cell death of the dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:An inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, rotenone, inactivates proteasome by oxidative modification and induces aggregation of oxidized proteins in SH-SY5Y cells. 1459 3

Lewy bodies (LBs), which are the hallmark pathologic features of Parkinson's disease and of dementia with LBs, have several morphologic and molecular similarities to aggresomes. Whether such cytoplasmic inclusions contribute to neuronal death or protect cells from the toxic effects of misfolded proteins remains controversial. In this report, the role of aggresomes in cell viability was addressed in the context of over-expressing alpha-synuclein and its interacting partner synphilin-1 using engineered 293T cells. Inhibition of proteasome activity elicited the formation of juxtanuclear aggregates with characteristics of aggresomes including immunoreactivity for vimentin, gamma-tubulin, ubiquitin, proteasome subunit, and hsp70. As expected from the properties of aggresomes, the microtubule disrupting agents, vinblastin and nocodazole, markedly prevented the formation of these inclusions. Similar to LBs, the phosphorylated form of alpha-synuclein co-localized in these synphilin-1-containing aggresomes. Although the caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk significantly reduced the number of apoptotic cells, it had no impact on the percentage of aggresome-positive cells. Finally, quantitative analysis revealed aggresomes in 60% of nonapoptotic cells but only in 10% of apoptotic cells. Additionally, alpha-synuclein-induced apoptosis was not coupled with increased prevalence of aggresome-bearing cells. Taken together, these observations indicate a disconnection between aggresome formation and apoptosis, and support a protective role for these inclusions from the toxicity associated with the combined over-expression of alpha-synuclein and synphilin-1.
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PMID:Aggresomes formed by alpha-synuclein and synphilin-1 are cytoprotective. 1462 98

Mutations in DJ-1, a protein of unknown function, were recently identified as the cause for an autosomal recessive, early onset form of familial Parkinson's disease. Here we report that DJ-1 is a dimeric protein that exhibits protease activity but no chaperone activity. The protease activity was abolished by mutation of Cys-106 to Ala, suggesting that DJ-1 functions as a cysteine protease. Our studies revealed that the Parkinson's disease-linked L166P mutation impaired the intrinsic folding propensity of DJ-1 protein, resulting in a spontaneously unfolded structure that was incapable of forming a homodimer with itself or a heterodimer with wild-type DJ-1. Correlating with the disruption of DJ-1 structure, the L166P mutation abolished the catalytic function of DJ-1. Furthermore, as a result of protein misfolding, the L166P mutant DJ-1 was selectively polyubiquitinated and rapidly degraded by the proteasome. Together these findings provide insights into the molecular mechanism by which loss-of-function mutations in DJ-1 lead to Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Familial Parkinson's disease-associated L166P mutation disrupts DJ-1 protein folding and function. 1466 35

Parkinson's disease is characterized by dopaminergic neuronal death and the presence of Lewy bodies. alpha-Synuclein is a major component of Lewy bodies, but the process of its accumulation and its relationship to dopaminergic neuronal death has not been resolved. Although the pathogenesis has not been clarified, mitochondrial complex I is suppressed, and caspase-3 is activated in the affected midbrain. Here we report that a combination of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP(+)) or rotenone and proteasome inhibition causes the appearance of alpha-synuclein-positive inclusion bodies. Unexpectedly, however, proteasome inhibition blocked MPP(+)- or rotenone-induced dopaminergic neuronal death. MPP(+) elevated proteasome activity, dephosphorylated mitogen-activating protein kinase (MAPK), and activated caspase-3. Proteasome inhibition reversed the MAPK dephosphorylation and blocked caspase-3 activation; the neuroprotection was blocked by a p42 and p44 MAPK kinase inhibitor. Thus, the proteasome plays an important role in both inclusion body formation and dopaminergic neuronal death but these processes form opposite sides on the proteasome regulation in this model.
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PMID:Proteasome mediates dopaminergic neuronal degeneration, and its inhibition causes alpha-synuclein inclusions. 1467 49

Decreased proteasome activity is an important pathology in Parkinson's disease (PD), which is related to cell death and Lewy body formation. In this study, we show that p53-activity may correlate with neuronal death via the mitochondrial pathway in PD model. The proteasome inhibitor, MG132, induced the accumulation of p53 in human dopaminergic neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. The increased stabilization of p53 upregulated the level of Bax and mitochondrial depolarization. These events were inhibited by the p53 inhibitor, pifithrin-alpha (PFT). Cell viability analyzes demonstrated that PFT partially prevented MG132-induced cell death. These results suggest that p53 is a candidate as an intermediary between the proteasome system and mitochondria-related neuronal death in PD.
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PMID:p53-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction by proteasome inhibition in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells. 1470 Jul 34

The identification of genetic mutations responsible for rare familial forms of Parkinson's disease (PD) have provided tremendous insight into the molecular pathogenesis of this disorder. Mutations in the DJ-1 gene cause autosomal recessive early onset PD in two European families. A Dutch kindred displays a large homozygous genomic deletion encompassing exons 1-5 of the DJ-1 gene, whereas an Italian kindred harbors a single homozygous L166P missense mutation. A homozygous M26I missense mutation was also recently reported in an Ashkenazi Jewish patient with early onset PD. Mutations in DJ-1 are predicted to be loss of function. The recent determination of the crystal structure of human DJ-1 demonstrates that it exists in a homo-dimeric form in vitro, whereas the L166P mutant exists only as a monomer. Here, we examine the in vivo effects of the pathogenic L166P and M26I mutations on the properties of DJ-1 in cell culture. We report that the L166P mutation confers markedly reduced protein stability to DJ-1, which results from enhanced degradation by the 20S/26S proteasome but not from a loss of mRNA expression. Furthermore, the L166P mutant protein exhibits an impaired ability to self-interact to form homo-oligomers. In contrast, the M26I mutation does not appear to adversely affect either protein stability, turnover by the proteasome, or the capacity of DJ-1 to form homo-oligomers. These properties of the L166P mutation may contribute to the loss of normal DJ-1 function and are likely to be the underlying cause of early onset PD in affected members of the Italian kindred.
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PMID:A missense mutation (L166P) in DJ-1, linked to familial Parkinson's disease, confers reduced protein stability and impairs homo-oligomerization. 1471 11

Dysfunction of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) has been implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. We have investigated the effect of UPS inhibition on the metabolism of alpha-synuclein (SYN) and parkin, two proteins genetically and histopathologically associated to PD. Pharmacological inhibition of proteasome induced accumulation of both parkin and SYN in transfected PC12 cells. We found that this effect was caused by increased protein synthesis rather than impairment of protein degradation, suggesting that inhibition of the UPS might lead to non-specific up-regulation of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-driven transcription. To investigate whether endogenous parkin and SYN can be substrate of the UPS, untransfected PC12 cells and primary mesencephalic neurones were exposed to proteasome inhibitors, and parkin and SYN expression was evaluated at both protein and mRNA level. Under these conditions, we found that proteasome inhibitors did not affect the level of endogenous parkin and SYN. However, we confirmed that dopaminergic neurones were selectively vulnerable to the toxicity of proteasome inhibitors. Our results indicate that studies involving the use of proteasome inhibitors, particularly those in which proteins are expressed from a heterologous promoter, are subjected to potential artefacts that need to be considered for the interpretation of the role of UPS in PD pathogenesis.
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PMID:Proteasome inhibition and aggregation in Parkinson's disease: a comparative study in untransfected and transfected cells. 1472 Feb 4

Oxidative stress is now recognized as accountable for redox regulation involving reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Its role is pivotal for the modulation of critical cellular functions, notably for neurons astrocytes and microglia, such as apoptosis program activation, and ion transport, calcium mobilization, involved in excitotoxicity. Excitotoxicity and apoptosis are the two main causes of neuronal death. The role of mitochondria in apoptosis is crucial. Multiple apoptotic pathways emanate from the mitochondria. The respiratory chain of mitochondria that by oxidative phosphorylation, is the fount of cellular energy, i.e. ATP synthesis, is responsible for most of ROS and notably the first produced, superoxide anion (O(2)(;-)). Mitochondrial dysfunction, i.e. cell energy impairment, apoptosis and overproduction of ROS, is a final common pathogenic mechanism in aging and in neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Nitric oxide (NO(;)), an RNS, which can be produced by three isoforms of NO-synthase in brain, plays a prominent role. The research on the genetics of inherited forms notably ALS, AD, PD, has improved our understanding of the pathobiology of the sporadic forms of neurodegenerative diseases or of aging of the brain. ROS and RNS, i.e. oxidative stress, are not the origin of neuronal death. The cascade of events that leads to neurons, death is complex. In addition to mitochondrial dysfunction (apoptosis), excitotoxicity, oxidative stress (inflammation), the mechanisms from gene to disease involve also protein misfolding leading to aggregates and proteasome dysfunction on ubiquinited material.
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PMID:Neurodegenerative diseases and oxidative stress. 1473 60


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