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http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2002/11/21/eline/links/20021121elin 001.html Last Updated: 2002-11-21 16:32:31 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Merritt McKinney NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - European scientists have identified a gene that is defective in a rare, early-onset form of Parkinson's disease. Although the gene mutations are unlikely to cause the more common form of Parkinson's, studying the rare version of the disease may lead to a better understanding of what causes the neurological disease, according to the study's lead author. Parkinson's disease causes tremor, muscle rigidity and movement problems. The underlying cause is the slow loss of neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, a brain chemical involved in movement. Current Parkinson's therapy relieves symptoms, but it does not slow the progression of the disease. Most cases of Parkinson's disease do not run in families, but some families are prone to a rare, early-onset type of the disease. Dr. Vincenzo Bonifati of Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands and La Sapienza University in Rome, Italy, and colleagues discovered the genetic mutations when they mapped the genes of two families with a history of early-onset Parkinson's. The families, one in Italy and the other in the Netherlands, had a mutation in a gene for a protein called DJ-1, the researchers report in Sciencexpress, the advance online edition of the journal Science. In the Dutch family, the DJ-1 protein was completely absent, while in the Italian family, it was inactive. In comments to Reuters Health, Bonifati said that "until now, only two genes had been firmly implicated in Parkinson's disease: alpha-synuclein and parkin." The discovery of another mutated gene represents a "new key to clarify the mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease," he said. The normal purpose of the DJ-1 protein is a mystery, but Bonifati said that there is preliminary evidence that it plays a role in protecting cells from oxidation, a process in which cell-damaging substances called free radicals accumulate. "This is intriguing," he said, "because it is well known that oxidative damage occurs in the brain in classical Parkinson's disease forms." According to Bonifati, "Clarifying why defects in the DJ-1 function lead to development of parkinsonism will foster our understanding of the mechanisms of the common forms of Parkinson's disease." SOURCE: Sciencexpress 2002;10.1126/science.1077209. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.408 / Virus Database: 230 - Release Date: 10/24/2002 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn