PINK1 (PTEN Induced Kinase 1) [N4/15]

PINK1 (PTEN-induced putative kinase 1), a member of the serine/threonine protein kinase family, is a tumor suppressor. It is primarily located in mitochondria, and is ubiquitously expressed in testis, skeletal muscle, and heart tissue. It can also be detected at lower levels in pancreas, ovary, brain, placenta, kidney, liver, prostate and small intestine. PINK1 protects from mitochondrial dysfunction in cells by conferring different autophosphorylation activity to mitochondrial genes. Mitochondrial proteins are critical for the regulation of cellular energy and adaptation to stress. Particularly in brain cells, mitochondrial demand is extraordinarily high, in order to accommodate aerobic and anaerobic support of high energy processes. Mutations in the PINK1 gene (PARK6) are associated with early onset Parkinson′s disease, a recessive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by resting tremor, muscular rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability. Parkinson′s disease generally involves the presence of intraneuronal accumulations of aggregated proteins (Lewy bodies) in brain neurons. Growing evidence supports the contribution of mitophagy impairment to several human pathologies, including PD and Alzheimer’s diseases (AD). Therefore, therapeutic interventions aiming to modulate PINK1/PARKIN signaling might have the potential to treat these diseases.