PARIS (ZNF746) Repression of PGC-1α Contributes to Neurodegeneration in Parkinson's Disease

SummaryA hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the preferential loss of substantia nigra dopamine neurons. Here, we identify a new parkin interacting substrate, PARIS (ZNF746), whose levels are regulated by the ubiquitin proteasome system via binding to and ubiquitination by the E3 ubiquitin ligase, parkin. PARIS is a KRAB and zinc finger protein that accumulates in models of parkin inactivation and in human PD brain. PARIS represses the expression of the transcriptional coactivator, PGC-1α and the PGC-1α target gene, NRF-1 by binding to insulin response sequences in the PGC-1α promoter. Conditional knockout of parkin in adult animals leads to progressive loss of dopamine (DA) neurons in a PARIS-dependent manner. Moreover, overexpression of PARIS leads to the selective loss of DA neurons in the substantia nigra, and this is reversed by either parkin or PGC-1α coexpression. The identification of PARIS provides a molecular mechanism for neurodegeneration due to parkin inactivation.PaperClip To listen to this audio, enable JavaScript on your browser. However, you can download and play the audio by clicking on the icon belowHelp with MP3 filesOptionsDownload audio (4467 K)

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► PARIS (ZNF746) is a substrate of the E3 ubiquitin ligase parkin
► PARIS accumulates in parkin inactivation models and in human Parkinson's disease brain
► PARIS transcriptionally represses PGC-1α by binding to insulin responsive sequences
► Degeneration of dopamine neurons in conditional parkin knockouts depends on PARIS