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Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Time-Lapse Video Microscopy for Assessment of EYFP-Parkin Aggregation as a Marker for Cellular Mitophagy
Published on: May 4, 2016
Destructive cellular paths underlying familial and sporadic Parkinson disease converge on mitophagy
1a Department of Neurosurgery , Stanford University School of Medicine , Stanford , CA USA.
Abstract:
The knowledge gap separating the molecular and cellular underpinnings of Parkinson disease (PD) and its pathology hinders treatment innovation. Adding to this difficulty is the lack of a reliable biomarker for PD. Our previous studies identify a link of 2 PD proteins, PINK1/PRKN Parkin to a mitochondrial motor adaptor RHOT1/Miro-1, which mediates mitochondrial motility and mitophagy. Here we review our recent paper showing that a third PD protein, LRRK2, also targets RHOT1 and regulates mitophagy, and pathogenic LRRK2 disrupts this function. Notably, we discover impairments in RHOT1 and mitophagy in sporadic PD patients with no known genetic backgrounds, pointing to RHOT1-mediated mitophagy as a convergent pathway in PD. This novelty opens new doors in PD research toward RHOT1-based therapy and biomarker development.
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