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Parkinson's disease major breakthrough
| Study: | Parkinson's disease induced pluripotent stem cells |
| By: | Devine M.J. et al. (15 authors total) |
| In: | Nature Communications |
| Link: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1453 |
To investigate the mechanisms of neurodegeneration occurring in Parkinsons’ disease and to establish an experimental system to identify compounds reducing levels of α -synuclein, a protein known to play a critical role in this disease.
The researchers isolated pluripotent stem cells from the skin of a patient with an aggressive form of Parkinson’s disease and from an unaffected first-degree relative. These were used to create induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) which were differentiated into neurons.
The cells from the Parkinson’s patient differentiated into neurons that produced double the amount of α -synuclein, a protein previously associated with the disease, compared to the cells from the healthy relative. The iPSCs allowed creating an experimental system which could be used for identification of compounds reducing the levels of α -synuclein and investigation of the disease mechanisms caused by this protein malfunction.
A major barrier to research on Parkinson’s disease has been the inaccessibility of diseased tissue for study. The successful induction of pluripotent stem cells from a patient allows a new insight into the molecular mechanisms of the disease.