Parkinson`s and other neurological diseases, probably caused by absence of the SMG1 protein

According to a new research led by Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Parkinson`s and other neurological diseases could be possibly caused by the absence of the SMG1 protein. “Identifying the kinases and phosphates that regulate this critical phosphorylation event may ultimately prove beneficial in the development of new drugs that could prevent synuclein dysfunction and toxicity in Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies”, said Dr. Travis Dunckley, a TGen Assistant Professor and senior author of the study. The results of this study are published in the journal PLOS ONE. Dr. Dunckley, in collaboration with other researchers used the latest genomic technologies and discovered that in patients with Parkinson`s disease and dementia, the level of the SMG1 protein was significantly decreased. This is how the final results prove that lack of this protein could contribute to the development of Parkinson`s and other neurological diseases. In this study were also involved researchers from Banner Sun Health Institute and Mayo Clinic Scottsdale.