Ravindar “Ravi” Thomas, PhD, a scientist at the VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center recently presented an abstract at the Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting in Washington, DC.
The abstract is titled “Parkinson’s Brains Have Downregulated Expression of Genes for Mitochondrial Biogenesis, Complex I Assembly Factor ACAD9 and Multiple Complex I Nuclear Genome-Encoded but not Mitochondrial Genome-Encoded Subunits.” Ravi worked on this project with Dr. Jim Bennett and Paula Keeney.
In studies with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) frontal cortex tissue samples, Ravi and the group found a widespread
decrease in expression of multiple nuclear DNA-encoded Complex I genes (which
are involved in oxidative phosphorylation, a metabolic process by which cells
can use energy), Complex I assembly factors, especially ACAD9 and mitochondrial
biogenesis genes.
The group also identified in miRNA arrays about 48 miRNA’s that were
regulated >2-fold in PD samples and 11 of them could interact with PGC-1a
which is the transcriptional coactivator that regulates genes involved in
energy metabolism, or its upstream regulators.
These findings, along with others, prove that there is loss of
bioenergetic activity in PD. Bioenergetic activity is the cellular metabolic processes involving the production and utilization of energy.
In
earlier studies with a variety of cell models and in vivo in mice, the group found that recombinant human mitochondrial
transcription factor A has consistently stimulated mitobiogenesis (the process
by which new mitochondria are formed) and this can be approached to alter loss
of bioenergetic activity in PD patients.@font-face {
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These early findings indicate a need for continued research and testing. Future developments and publications will be posted as they become available.
As the availability of external funding and grant opportunities continue to decline, your continued support allows the Center to sustain projects like these. We thank you for your generosity and commitment to advancing Parkinson’s research.
March 2, 2012 at 7:08 pm
i always learn something new from your post!