Title:Familial Mutations and Post-translational Modifications of UCH-L1 in Parkinson's Disease and Neurodegenerative Disorders
Volume: 18
Issue: 7
Author(s): Yun-Tzai C. Lee and Shang-Te D. Hsu*
Affiliation:
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, 128, Section 2, Academia Road, Aipei, 11529,Taiwan,Taiwan
Keywords:
UCH-L1, α-synuclein, Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease, ubiquitin, misfolding.
Abstract: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common progressive neurodegenerative disorders
in modern society. The disease involves many genetic risk factors as well as a sporadic pathogenesis
that is age- and environment-dependent. Of particular interest is the formation of intra-neural
fibrillar aggregates, namely Lewy bodies (LBs), the histological hallmark of PD, which results from
aberrant protein homeostasis or misfolding that results in neurotoxicity. A better understanding of the
molecular mechanism and composition of these cellular inclusions will help shed light on the progression
of misfolding-associated neurodegenerative disorders. Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase
L1 (UCH-L1) is found to co-aggregate with α-synuclein (αS), the major component of LBs.
Several familial mutations of UCH-L1, namely p.Ile93Met (p.I93M), p.Glu7Ala (p.E7A), and
p.Ser18Tyr (p.S18Y), are associated with PD and other neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we review
recent progress and recapitulate the impact of PD-associated mutations of UCH-L1 in the context of
their biological functions gleaned from biochemical and biophysical studies. Finally, we summarize
the effect of these genetic mutations and post-translational modifications on the association of UCHL1
and PD in terms of loss of cellular functions or gain of cellular toxicity.
