Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive age-related disorder of the nervous system, for which there is no cure. In PD patients, certain brain cells that produce a chemical messenger, called dopamine, die. Decreased levels of dopamine trigger abnormal brain activity that manifests by the symptoms of PD such as resting tremor, slowed movement and muscle rigidity. The cause of PD is unknown, however, both genetic and environmental factors have been shown to play a role. One of the changes that occur in a PD brain is the accumulation of so called Lewy bodies (LBs), protein-rich clumps that are believed to progressively spread in the brain and cause the death of dopamine-producing neurons. To date, the mechanism of LB spreading remains obscure. A protein called alpha-synuclein (a-syn) is abundantly present in LBs and genetic mutations in a-syn are found in familial forms of PD. Recently, our collaborator discovered an unconventional mechanism called MAPS that cells use to discard non-functional and potentially toxic proteins, including a-syn. We therefore believe that MAPS is malicious and participates in LB spreading and progression of PD. Our preliminary data show that hindering this mechanism has the potential to prevent a-syn propagation in the brain of a PD mouse model. Should this study yield positive results, MAPS inhibitors could be developed into a potential therapy for PD and other diseases of toxic protein aggregation and propagation.