title: The role of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Parkinson's disease, like many common age-related conditions, is now recognized to have a substantial genetic component. Here, I discuss how mutations in a large complex gene--leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2)--affect protein function, and I review recent evidence that LRRK2 mutations affect pathways that involve other proteins that have been implicated in Parkinson's disease, specifically α-synuclein and tau. These concepts can be used to understand disease processes and to develop therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Building 35, Room 1A116, MSC 3707, 35 Convent Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20982-3707, USA. Cookson@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Cookson
mesh_terms: D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D000071158:Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2; D008954:Models, Biological; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012307:Risk Factors; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000378:metabolism; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051844:alpha-Synuclein; D016875:tau Proteins; C495280:LRRK2 protein, human; D000071158:Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D004298:Dopamine