Deciphering the Neuroprotective Mechanism of Parkinsons Disease-Associated Protein Kinase PINK1

帕金森病是由控制身体运动的神经细胞过早死亡引起的。PINK1酶通过化学修饰维持细胞存活的特定细胞蛋白质来防止神经细胞死亡。我们的目标是鉴定这些蛋白质，并研究PINK1催化的修饰如何调节它们维持神经细胞存活的能力。这项研究将有助于开发防止神经细胞死亡的药物，以治疗和预防这种疾病。

Parkinson's disease is caused by premature death of nerve cells that control body movements. The enzyme PINK1 protects against nerve cell death by chemically modifying specific cellular proteins that maintain cell survival. We aim at identifying these proteins and investigating how PINK1-catalysed modification modulates their ability to maintain nerve cell survival. The study will benefit development of drugs that protect against nerve cell death for treatment and prevention of the disease.