Parkin Plays a Role in Sporadic Parkinson's Disease

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic progressive neurologic disorder, which affects approximately one million men and women in the US alone. PD represents a heterogeneous disorder with common clinical manifestations and, for the most part, common neuropathological findings. Objective: This short article reviews the role of the ubiquitin E3 ligase in sporadic PD. Methods: The role of parkin in sporadic PD was reviewed by querying PubMed. Results: Parkin is inactivated in sporadic PD via S-nitrosylation, oxidative and dopaminergic stress, and phosphorylation by the stress-activated kinase c-Abl, leading to the accumulation of AIMP2 and PARIS (ZNF746). Conclusion: Strategies aimed at maintaining parkin in a catalytically active state or interfering with the toxicity of AIMP2 and PARIS (ZNF746) offer new therapeutic opportunities. (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel