A gene could prevent Parkinson’s disease

(© Image: Istock) - A team from the University of Geneva has identified a gene whose overexpression prevents the development of Parkinson's disease in the fruit fly and the mouse. Biologists have created mutants of the Fer2 homolog in mouse dopamine neurons. (c) Adobe Stock Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the destruction of a specific population of neurons: the dopaminergic neurons. The degeneration of these neurons prevents the transmission of signals controlling specific muscle movements and leads to tremors, involuntary muscle contractions or balance problems characteristic of this pathology. A team from the University of Geneva has investigated the destruction of these dopaminergic neurons using the fruit fly as study model. The scientists identified a key protein in flies, and also in mice, which plays a protective role against this disease and could be a new therapeutic target. This work can be read .