This impairment allows excess iron to escape into the neurons where it causes toxic oxidative stress, the researchers explained.
‘A mutation in a lysosomal gene (ATP13A2) results in the toxic release of iron into the cell resulting in neuronal cell death, which is linked to Parkinson’s disease.
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"It's recently been realized that one of the most important functions of the lysosome is to store iron in a place in the cell where it is not accessible to participate in toxic oxidative stress-producing reactions," said Julie Andersen from Buck Institute for Research on Aging in California, US.
"Now we have demonstrated that a mutation in a lysosomal gene results in the toxic release of iron into the cell resulting in neuronal cell death," Andersen noted.
The research was published online in
The Journal of Neuroscience.
The work involved a mutation in a gene (ATP13A2) associated with a rare form of Parkinson's disease called Kufor-Rakeb syndrome.
When researchers knocked out the gene, the lysosome was unable to maintain the balance of iron within the cell.
The study could provide researchers specific target to selectively impact iron toxicity within the affected neurons.
Source: IANS
