First discovered more than 20 years ago, Pink1 It is a protein directly related to Parkinson’s disease, neurodegenerative disease of greater growth in the world. Until now, no one had seen the appearance of human pink1, how it adheres to the surface of damaged mitochondria or how it is activated.
In an article that is public in the magazine ‘Science‘Researchers of the Parkinson Wehi’s disease research center (Australia) have determined the first human Pink1 structure linked to mitochondria. This work could help find new treatments for this disease, which currently has no cure or medication to stop its progression.
Parkinson’s disease develops for years With just symptoms; In addition, it usually takes years, sometimes decades, diagnose. Although it is related to tremors, Parkinson has about 40 symptoms, including cognitive impairment, speech difficulties, body temperature regulation and vision problems.
Australian researchers analyzed the role of mitochondria, responsible for producing energy at the cellular level in all living beings. Cells that require a lot of energy can contain hundreds or thousands of mitochondria. The Park6 gene encodes the Pink1 protein, which contributes to cell survival by detecting damaged mitochondria and marking them for elimination.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Parkinson is the death of neurons. Around 50 million cells die and are replaced in the human body every minute. But unlike other body cells, when neurons die, the speed at which they are replaced is extremely low.
When mitochondria are damaged, they stop producing energy and release toxins in the cell. In a healthy person, damaged cells are eliminated by means of a process called Mythophagy.
Cell damage
In a person with Parkinson and a Pink1 mutation, the mythophagy process stops working properly and toxins accumulate in the cell, finally killing it. Neurons require a lot of energy and are especially sensitive to this damage.
In a healthy person, when mitochondria suffer damage, Pink1 accumulates in mitochondrial membranes and, by means of a small protein called ubiquitin, it indicates that it is necessary to eliminate damaged mitochondria. The Pink1 ubiquitin signal is exclusive to damaged mitochondria, and when pink1 mutates in patients, damaged mitochondria accumulate in cells.
Although Pink1 has been linked to Parkinson, and in particular with Parkinson’s disease early, researchers had not been able to visualize it and did not understand how the mitochondria joins and activates.
After years of work this team has revealed the mystery of how the human pink1 looks and how it is assembled in the mitochondria to activate.
«This is an important milestone for Parkinson’s research. It is incredible to finally see Pink1 and understand how the mitochondria joins, ”says Professor David Komander.
As explained by the main author of the study, Sylvie CallegariPink1 works in four different steps, and that the first two had not been observed before.
First, Pink1 detects mitochondrial damage. Subsequently, it binds to damaged mitochondria. Once united, the ubiquitin label, which binds to a protein called Parkin so that damaged mitochondria can recycle.
The idea of using Pink1 as a goal for possible pharmacological therapies has been raised for a long time, but it has not yet been achieved because the Pink1 structure is unknown and how it joins the damaged mitochondria.
Researchers hope to use this knowledge to find a drug that delay or stop Parkinson in people with a Pink1 mutation.
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