Parkinson's disease and prion diseases: Discovery of a molecular link

(Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati) Parkinson's disease and prion diseases are very different from each other as regards both origins and course. Nonetheless, a research group of SISSA's has discovered an unexpected and important link between the two pathologies. According to the study recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, the link is given by the complex interaction between two different proteins present in our nerve cells: the so-calledα-synuclein, in its aggregated form, and the prion protein PrPC.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news