Exploring the Role of Ubiquitin–Proteasome System in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Over the last decade, researchers have discovered that a group of apparently unrelated neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, have remarkable cellular and molecular biology similarities. Protein misfolding and aggregation are involved in all of the neurodegenerative conditions; as a result, inclusion bodies aggregation starts in the cells. Chaperone proteins and ubiquitin (26S proteasome's proteolysis signal), which aid in refolding misfolded proteins, are frequently found in these aggregates. The discovery of disease-causing gene alterations that code for multiple ubiquitin–proteasome pathway proteins in Parkinson's disease has strengthened the relationship between the ubiquitin–proteasome system and neurodegeneration. The specific molecular linkages between these systems and pathogenesis, on the other hand, are unknown and controversial. We outline the current level of knowledge in this article, focusing on important unanswered problems. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].