The etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) is not completely defined, although environmental factors (for example, exposure to the herbicide paraquat [PQ]) and genetic susceptibility (such as DJ-1 mutations that have been associated with an autosomal-recessive form of early-onset PD) have been demonstrated to contribute. Alterations in macroautophagy have been described in the pathogenesis of this neurodegenerative disease. We have established a model system to study the involvement of the DJ-1 protein in PQ-induced autophagy. When we transfected cells exposed to PQ with DJ-1-specific siRNA, we observed an inhibition of the autophagic events induced by the herbicide, as well as sensitization additive with PQ-induced apoptotic cell death and exacerbation of this cell death in the presence of the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine. These results suggest, for the first time, an active role for DJ-1 in the autophagic response produced by PQ, opening the door to new strategies for PD therapy. ©2010 with author. Published by TheScientificWorld.
CITATION STYLE
González-Polo, R. A., Niso-Santano, M., Gómez-Sánchez, R., Bravo-San Pedro, J. M., & Fuentes, J. M. (2010, August 17). DJ-1 as a modulator of autophagy: An hypothesis. TheScientificWorldJournal. https://doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2010.165
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