Hsp104: Baker's Yeast Protein May Protect Against Parkinson's Disease

Filed in archive Drugs, Vaccines and Therapeutics , Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics on August 16, 2008

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Dmitriy Shironosov

Parkinson's disease is characterized by nerve cell death brought about brought about by protein-clumping. While there is no treatment available to alter the course of the disease, researchers continue to elucidate the said mechanism leading to Parkinson's.

Clinicians do not fully understand the process and cause of Parkinson's disease. However, researchers believe that a protein called alpha-synuclein misfolds and clumps in many forms of the disease, and that this process is intimately tied to the selective death of dopamine-producing neurons that results in Parkinson's disease.

Now a team from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a protein from baker's yeast that they have found prevented the said protein clumping. Such were the findings when yeast protein Hsp104 was introduced into animal models of Parkinson's disease.

In this study, researchers found that Hsp104 could partially reverse alpha-synuclein aggregation in test-tube experiments. Remarkably, rats expressing Hsp104 showed lower levels of alpha-synuclein aggregation and alpha-synuclein-induced toxicity of neurons.

Findings were reported online August 14 at The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

If Hsp104 works in further investigation, this may lead to potential therapies in order to prevent or maybe protect against the progression of Parkinson's disease

Find more details from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.