The role of Rab GTPases in the pathobiology of Parkinson' disease

Luis Bonet-Ponce; Mark R Cookson

doi:10.1016/j.ceb.2019.03.009

The role of Rab GTPases in the pathobiology of Parkinson' disease

Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2019 Aug:59:73-80. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2019.03.009. Epub 2019 May 1.

Authors

Luis Bonet-Ponce¹, Mark R Cookson²

Affiliations

¹ Cell Biology and Gene Expression Section, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
² Cell Biology and Gene Expression Section, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address: cookson@mail.nih.gov.

Abstract

Rab GTPases are key regulators of vesicle-mediated transport and are proposed to play a crucial role in the pathobiology of Parkinson's disease. As membrane trafficking seems to be a relevant pathway altered in Parkinson' disease, understanding the role of Rab GTPases in the disease progression could open a window for therapeutic interventions. In this review, we focus on the recent advances on the role of Rab GTPases in the biology of two main proteins involved in Parkinson's disease: LRRK2 and α-synuclein, given that mutations in their genes (LRRK2 and SNCA) cause familial and sporadic Parkinson's disease.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Parkinson Disease / pathology*
Protein Transport / genetics*
rab GTP-Binding Proteins / genetics*

Substances

rab GTP-Binding Proteins

Grants and funding

ZIA AG000948-11/ImNIH/Intramural NIH HHS/United States