Scientists have made a potential “changing life” discovery that can pave the way for new drugs to treat Parkinson’s disease.
Experts have known decades that the Pink1 protein is directly related to Parkinson’s disease – the fastest nervous state in the world.
So far, no one has seen how Pink1 Human looks like how Pink1 is activated to the damaged mitochondrial surface within the cells or how.
But scientists have now discovered how the mutation is turning on and can use this knowledge to find a way to turn it off and reduce the progress of the situation.
Researchers at Walter and Eliza Hall, Parkinson’s Center for Research in Australia, have solved decades of decades.
Findings published in the journal Science For the first time, reveal the Pink1 structure and how it is connected to Mitochondria – a cell power plant – and stops its proper functioning.
Parkinson’s disease can take years and sometimes to diagnose it. It is often associated with vibration, with nearly 40 symptoms, including cognitive disorder, speech problems, body temperature regulation and visual problems.
The nervous situation affects about 153,000 British. There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s, although drugs, physiotherapy and surgery can help manage symptoms.
One of the prominent features of Parkinson’s is the death of brain cells. About 50 million cells die and are replaced in the human body every minute. But unlike other cells of the body, when the brain cells die, their replacement is very low.
When mitochondria is damaged, they stop from energy production and release toxins into the cell. In a healthy person, the damaged cells fall into a process called mitophagi.
In a person with Parkinson’s and Pink1 mutation, the mitophaggy process is no longer working properly, and toxins accumulate in the cell and eventually kill it. Brain cells need a lot of energy and are especially sensitive to this damage.
In particular, Pink1 has been associated with young Parkinson’s disease, which affects people under 50. Despite the well -known transplant, the researchers have previously failed to visualize protein or how it operate.
“This is an important turning point for Parkinson’s research. Finally, seeing Pink1 and understanding how it is connected to Mitochondria is incredible,” he said.
“Our structure shows many new ways to change Pink1, which basically illuminates it, which will be changing for people with Parkinson’s life,” he said.
The main author of the study, Dr. Silvi Calley, said that Pink1 works in four separate stages, with the first two stages that had not been seen before.
First, Pink1 feels mitochondria injury. Then, it attaches to the damaged mitochondria. After the connection, it is transplanted to a protein called Parkin to recycle the damaged mitochondria.
“This is the first time we have seen that Pink1 has been connected to the damaged mitochondria level, and has discovered significant proteins that act as a joint,” he said.
The idea of using Pink1 as a goal for potential drug therapies has been supported for a long time, but has not yet been obtained because the Pink1 structure and how it is connected to the damaged mitochondria is unknown.
The research team hopes to use knowledge to find a drug to slow or stop Parkinson in people with Pink1 mutations.
Researchers in the UK also believe that the discovery can lead to better drug design.
“This is an important step in understanding Pink1’s impact on Parkinson’s disease. These observations may hopefully create new opportunities for developing new strategies to slow Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Richard Ellis, a neurologist.
“A strong understanding of these aspects can also be an important opportunity to accelerate the discovery of drugs for Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions,” said Life Arc.
“The changes in Pink1 have long been associated with Parkinson’s, and a particular mutation in the gene containing protein -making guidelines has been known, which creates a rare inheritance of the disease,” said Becky Jones, director of research communications in Parkinson’s in the UK.
“Seeing this study is encouraging, which helps us to understand how changes in Pink1 may damage the brain cells of dopamine in people with Parkinson’s,” he said.
“This knowledge opens future ways to better design drugs and discover therapeutic that can make or even stop Parkinson’s progress,” he said. “This is crucial, because although it is the fastest nervous situation in the world, we still have no medication treatment that can do it.”
