The PGC-1 gene is the alpha switch of Parkinson's disease?
Marina Astvatsaturyan, Echo of Moscow
The brain consumes about 20% of the energy needed by the whole body, while its weight is only 2% of the body weight. Consequently, the termination of the energy supply to the brain can be fatal for him. However, if you spur mitochondria with the help of special, already approved drugs, then you can expect a warning or at least a delay in the onset of parkinsonism.
Currently, about 5 million people are affected by Parkinson's disease in the world. This ailment is associated with the death of dopamine neurons, which causes a deficiency of the important neurotransmitter dopamine and eventually leads to the development of symptoms such as limb tremor, muscle rigidity (i.e. constant muscle tension) and slow movements. Since the disease develops gradually over the years, drugs that slow down the onset of the immobilized state are in great demand to improve the quality of life of patients.
The latest issue of the new journal Science Translational Medicine published an article by Clemens Scherzer from Harvard Medical School and an international group of researchers led by him, which shows that the root cause of Parkinson's disease may be a malfunction of 10 genes related to the production of cellular energy (its universal source is the molecule adenosine triphosphate, ATP).
The set of genes in question is controlled by one "switch" – the PGC-1-alpha gene (its full name is the receptor–gamma-coactivator-1-alpha-VM activated by peroxisoMe proliferators). It is known that it activates hundreds of mitochondrial genes, including those that are necessary to maintain and "repair" the mitochondria themselves.
As shown by the study of Scherzer and co-authors, abnormal expression of a set of 10 genes occurs already in the early stages of the development of Parkinsonism, long before the symptoms manifest. But if this set is "subordinate" to the PGC-1 alpha gene, then the idea of using it as a target for the fight against Parkinson's disease seems tempting.
Drugs to activate this gene in order to alleviate diabetes have already been approved by the FDA (American Food and Drug Administration). These medications can serve as the basis for the development of special drugs that slow down the development of Parkinson's disease.
Some connection between this disease and insufficient mitochondrial function has been established in previous studies, but now the role of specific genes is shown. The data were obtained by analyzing 185 tissue samples isolated from a small area of the brain called substantia nigra in people who suffered from Parkinsonism during their lifetime. The black substance contains dopamine neurons. In patients, they are abnormal. The analysis of gene activity in such material allowed scientists to identify a group of genes involved in the process accompanying Parkinson's disease. Obviously, it is associated with energy production, i.e. with the function of mitochondria, in other words, the suppression of the work of the identified genes seriously affects the energy exchange of the brain.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru14.10.2010