Project description:Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder affecting millions of people worldwide for which there are only symptomatic therapies. Small molecules able to target key pathological processes in PD have emerged as interesting options for modifying disease progression. We have previously shown that a (poly)phenol-enriched fraction (PEF) of Corema album L. leaf extract modulates central events in PD pathogenesis, namely α-synuclein (αSyn) toxicity, aggregation and clearance. PEF was now subjected to a bio-guided fractionation with the aim of identifying the critical bioactive compound. We identified genipin, an iridoid, which relieves αSyn toxicity and aggregation. Furthermore, genipin promotes metabolic alterations and modulates lipid storage and endocytosis. Importantly, genipin was able to prevent the motor deficits caused by the expression of αSyn-GFP in a Drosophila melanogaster model of PD. These findings open new avenues for the exploitation of genipin for PD therapeutics.
Project description:Recent genomic studies revealed that mitochondria from mistletoe species appear to lack a major amount of genes, indicating a possible loss of the NADH ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) which forms an essential part of the mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation System (OXPHOS). This dataset is used for profiling of the mitochondrial complexome from European mistletoe, Viscum album and gives biochemical evidence for a lack of complex I as well as a unique composition of OXPHOS in Viscum album.
