PINK1 Protein Crucial for Removing Broken-Down Energy Reactors
NIH study suggests potential new pathway to target for treating ALS and other diseases
Cells are powered by tiny energy reactors called mitochondria. When damaged, they leak destructive molecules that can cause substantial harm and eventually kill brain cells. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) showed that a protein called PINK1 that is implicated in Parkinson’s disease is critical for helping cells get rid of dysfunctional mitochondria. According to the new research, published in the journal Naturem, PINK1 does this by triggering an intricate process called mitophagy that breaks down and removes damaged mitochondria from the cell.
This page was last updated on Friday, January 21, 2022