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Updated: Oct 15, 2025

Author Spotlight: Fluorescence-Based Quantification of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and Superoxide Levels Using Live Imaging in HeLa Cells
Published on: May 12, 2023
PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) and Parkin: Unlocking a mitochondrial quality control pathway linked to Parkinson's
Shalini Agarwal1, Miratul M K Muqit2
1MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, The Sir James Black Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK.
Abstract:
Dissection of the function of two Parkinson's disease-linked genes encoding the protein kinase, PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) and ubiquitin E3 ligase, Parkin, has illuminated a highly conserved mitochondrial quality control pathway found in nearly every cell type including neurons. Mitochondrial damage-induced activation of PINK1 stimulates phosphorylation-dependent activation of Parkin and ubiquitin-dependent elimination of mitochondria by autophagy (mitophagy). Structural, cell biological and neuronal studies are unravelling the key steps of PINK1/Parkin-dependent mitophagy and uncovering new insights into how the pathway is regulated. The emerging role for aberrant immune activation as a driver of dopaminergic neuron degeneration after loss of PINK1 and Parkin poses new exciting questions on cell-autonomous and noncell-autonomous mechanisms of PINK1/Parkin signalling in vivo.
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