Metabolic Link Between Aging & Parkinson’s Disease Revealed

Scientists at the University of Alabama (Alabama, USA) have identified an enzyme that links genetic pathways that control aging with the death of dopamine neurons – a clinical hallmark of Parkinson's disease, in an animal model. Guy Caldwell and colleagues have discovered that a gene thought to be neuroprotective also codes for a basic enzyme in the breakdown of glucose, in the pathway of glycolysis – the primary cellular pathway by which cells break down sugar to generate energy. Through a multi-tiered screening process, the researchers identified the target enzyme, known as glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI-1). GPI-1 is well established for its role in glycolysis, or but these scientists posit that it may also play a role in the malfunction of dopamine-producing neurons in the brains of Parkinson’s patients. The study authors submit that: “Collectively, these results support glucose metabolism as a conserved functional node at the intersection of proteostasis and neurodegeneration.”