Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 for beginners: Six key questions

Abstract

There has been intense interest in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) since 2004, when mutations in the LRRK2 gene were discovered to cause dominantly inherited Parkinson's disease (PD). This article will address six basic questions about LRRK2 biology as it relates to PD, with particular emphasis on its discovery, current concepts of its physiological and pathological functions, and the strategies being used to discover how LRRK2 dysfunction causes PD. © 2012 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.