Role of the unfolded protein response in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease which affects almost 1 percent of the population above the age of 60. It is is characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the striatum and substantia nigra, coupled with the formation of intracellular Lewy bodies in degenerating neurons. Recent evidence suggests endoplasmic reticulum stress as a common and prominent occurrence in the progression of Parkinson's disease pathogenesis in the affected human brain. One of the cellular defense mechanism to combat endoplasmic reticulum stress due to excessive protein accumulation is through activation of the unfolded protein response pathway. In this review we focus on the impact and role of this unfolded protein response as a causative factor of Parkinson's disease leading to neurodegeneration.