A study has shed light on how two proteins, LRRK2 and RAB12, might play a key role in Parkinson’s disease. LRRK2, a protein known to be involved in PD, was found to interact with RAB12, a protein in the brain. This interaction seems to affect important cellular processes, like the formation of primary cilia and the maintenance of centrosomes—both crucial for cell function in the brain.
Researchers used advanced techniques to discover that RAB12 is a major target of LRRK2, especially in astrocytes, a type of brain cell. Interestingly, the study found that a mutation in LRRK2 linked to Parkinsons, known as LRRK2-G2019S, causes problems in these processes, but deleting RAB12 can reverse some of these effects.
These findings help explain how certain mutations in LRRK2 contribute to Parkinsons and offer new ideas for potential treatments by targeting the interaction between LRRK2 and RAB12.