Tiago Outeiro, leader of Cell and Molecular Science Lab, recently published a study on PLoS Biology revealing a new possible therapeutic target on Parkinson's Disease. This study was developed for an international team, counting with CEDOC investigators Hugo Miranda and Rita Oliveira.
Alpha-synuclein accumulation has been associated with neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease. At the same time, sirtuin 2 has been identified as a master regulator of the ageing process, connected with neurodegeneration. In this study, researchers decided to investigate the association between these two proteins and discovered that sirtuin 2 deacetylates alpha-synuclein. By reducing sirtuin 2 levels, researchers observed that alpha-synuclein accumulation also decreased. Thus, the importance of acetylation in the regulation of alpha-synuclein toxicity opens up possibilities for a new therapeutic target in Parkinson's Disease.
Article is entitled "The mechanism of Sirtuin 2-mediated exacerbation of alpha-synuclein toxicity in models of Parkinson’s disease" (full article here).
The press release about this study can be found in the News Section here.