LRRK2 and neurodegeneration

Pathogenesis of familial Parkinson's disease: new insights based on monogenic forms of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common movement disorders caused by the loss of dopaminergic neuronal cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal degeneration in PD remain unknown; however, it is now clear that genetic factors contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease. Approximately, 5% of patients with clinical features of PD have clear familial etiology, which show a classical recessive or dominant Mendelian mode of inheritance. Over the decade, more than 15 loci and 11 causative genes have been identified so far and many studies shed light on their implication in not only monogenic but also sporadic form of PD. Recent studies revealed that PD-associated genes play important roles in cellular functions, such as mitochondrial functions, ubiquitin-proteasomal system, autophagy-lysosomal pathway and membrane trafficking. Furthermore, the proteins encoded by PD-associated genes can interact with each other and such gene products may share a common pathway that leads to nigral degeneration. However, their precise roles in the disease and their normal functions remain poorly understood. In this study, we review recent progress in knowledge about the genes associated with familial PD.

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 expression leads to aggresome formation that is not associated with alpha-synuclein inclusions

Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase-2 (LRRK2) are the most common known cause of Parkinson disease, but how this protein results in the pathobiology of Parkinson disease is unknown. Moreover, there is variability in pathology among cases, and alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) neuronal inclusions are often present, but whether LRRK2 is present in these pathological inclusions is controversial. This study characterizes novel LRRK2 antibodies, some of which preferentially recognize an aggregated form of LRRK2, as observed in cell culture models. Large perinuclear aggregates containing LRRK2 were promoted by proteasome inhibition and prevented by microtubule polymerization inhibition. Furthermore, they were vimentin- and gamma-tubulin- but not lamp1-immunoreactive, suggesting that these structures fit the definition of aggresomes. Inhibition of heat shock protein 90 led to the degradation of only the soluble/cytosolic pool of LRRK2, suggesting that the aggresomes formed independent of the stability provided by the heat shock protein 90. Although these novel anti-LRRK2 antibodies identified aggregates in model cell systems, they did not immunostain pathological inclusions in human brains. Furthermore, coexpression of LRRK2 and alpha-syn did not recruit alpha-syn into aggresomes in cultured cells, even in the presence of proteasome inhibition. Thus, although LRRK2 is a model system for aggresome formation, LRRK2 is not present in alpha-syn pathological inclusions.

Interaction of elongation factor 1-alpha with leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 impairs kinase activity and microtubule bundling in vitro

Autosomal dominant mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are the most common genetic cause of late-onset Parkinson's disease. However, the regulators/effectors contributing to the (patho-)physiological functions of LRRK2 remain poorly defined. Here we show that human LRRK2 co-purifies/co-immunoprecipitates with elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1A). Co-incubation of recombinant LRRK2 and EF1A significantly reduces the kinase activity of LRRK2, whereas its GTPase activity remains unchanged. In addition to its canonical role in mRNA translation, EF1A maintains stability of the microtubule cytoskeleton. In the present study, EF1A promotes microtubule assembly in an in vitro tubulin polymerization assay which is impaired by co-incubation with LRRK2 at sub-stoichiometric concentrations. These findings suggest that the interaction between LRRK2 and EF1A may reciprocally modulate their physiological function.