Parkinson’s disease possibly originates in gastrointestinal tract

Parkinson’s disease has been attributed the clumping together of a protein called alpha-synuclein that are generally found at the ending of the nerve cells. When the protein clumps together, the nerve cells get damaged and it deteriorates the dopamine system and results in issues with movement and speech.

New research suggests that Parkinson’s disease may start off in the gut. The study was conducted on mice and it confirms the theory that the abnormally folded alpha-synuclein may originate in the gut and then eventually spread to the brain. This transmission happens through the vagus nerve, a nerve bundle that sends signals to and from the brain to several of the body’s organs, including the gut, reported recently.

“It supports and really provides the first experimental evidence that Parkinson’s disease can start in the gut and go up the vagus nerve,” said a professor of neurology and co-author of the research.

The research also discovered that the folding of the protein has similar effects on the brain of mice as well as humans, and the symptoms it causes in both are similar. “We have what we think is a really accurate [animal] model that can be used to work out mechanisms – but also to test therapies,” said the Prof.

The Prof. reckoned the possibility of undoing the misfolds in the protein at the gut itself to stop Parkinson’s disease early on. Another reason the researchers believe that the disease origins in the gut is because those who had an appendicitis surgery early in life had a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease later in life.

Through this experiment on mice, they also recorded a drop in dopamine levels in mice. It resulted in the progressive loss of neurons for seven months. The mice also showed a significant deterioration on their motor skills and also developed memory, behavioural and anxiety issues.

Through this research, it was discovered that when the proteins in the gut becomes misfolded, it results in a domino effect that led to the misfold of the same alpha-synuclein protein in the brain as well.

“This study adds support to a growing base of evidence [implying] that changes in the gut play a key role in the initiation of Parkinson’s, although it is not believed to be the only place where the condition may start,” said a Dr.

“By identifying and halting these changes before they reach the brain, we may be able to prevent the majority of Parkinson’s symptoms ever appearing and improve the lives of people who will be affected,” she concluded.

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Researchers find new screening tool for Parkinson’s disease

According to a new study, researchers are using breakthrough gene-editing technology to develop a new screening tool for Parkinson's disease, a debilitating degenerative disorder of the nervous system.  

The technology allows scientists in the lab to "light up" and then monitor a brain protein called alpha-synuclein that has been associated with Parkinson's.


“Alpha-synuclein is a protein that is normally found in the brain. We all have it but for some reason, when you have Parkinson's the levels become abnormal. So if we can monitor this protein in the cell, we can start to measure what causes it to go up and also what treatments can cause it to go down,” said  one of the lead researchers on the project.

The researchers believe their work is a crucial step toward identifying new drug therapies for Parkinson's disease.

He is partnering with doctoral student  and scientist to study Parkinson's, which affects motor functions caused by a gradual loss of brain cells.

There are about 60,000 new cases of Parkinson's each year in some countries.

They are using CRISPR Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) gene-editing technology.

The system is one of research's fastest growing biomedical techniques that allows scientists to make specific changes in the DNA of plants and animals while not killing cells.

The system is becoming instrumental in studying genetically based treatments for diseases including cancer and Parkinson's.

Kim, who is also a medical doctor, shared, “It's the most powerful and widely used gene-editing technique in use because it allows us to change the DNA in living cells. The innovation of this method is that it enables us to monitor this gene in real-time without killing the cell. Without the CRISPR Cas-9 method, you would have to extract all the proteins from the cell to measure them, which kills the cell.”

Using the CRISPR technique, the team edited the alpha-synuclein gene and inserted a luminescent tag made from proteins that causes fireflies to light up.

Every time the cell creates the alpha-synuclein protein, the tag gives off a light.

He noted, “More light means an increased level of alpha-synuclein, which would be considered a diseased state.”

The researchers found that measuring light was a reliable method to measure alpha-synuclein production.

“If we take one of these modified cells and treat it with a particular drug, if it doesn't produce light anymore, then this means the drug is a potential treatment for this disease,” he said.

With the engineered cells, the team can screen new and existing drugs to see how they regulate alpha-synuclein level in patients.

“With an easy-to-measure reporter like light production, this will allow us to do high throughput screening, where you can test a large panel of drugs at once,” he said.

With the new technology, the scientists hope to identifying ways to reduce alpha-synuclein production that can possibly prevent Parkinson's or its progression in patients diagnosed with the disease.

The team said research will focus on what aspects of the alpha- synuclein protein kill neurons during Parkinson's disease.

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