DYRK1A and Parkinson's disease, facts and hypotheses

The dual-specificity, tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) is intensively studied because of its implication in numerous human diseases (Down syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes, myocardial infarction, various cancers and leukaemia, etc.). Several GWAS studies have identified DYRK1A as a risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD). DYRK1A indeed phosphorylates at least 20 proteins clearly involved in PD: AMPH, CASP9, DYN1, FOXO, GSK3B, MAP1B, MAPT, MEF2D, NFAT, TP53, PRKN, PLK2, RABs, RCAN1, SEPT4, SNCA, STAT3, SYNJ1, TOM70, WASL. Several other proteins involved in PD interact with DYRK1A: calpains, DSCAM, REST/NRSF, 14-3-3. DYRK1A is involved in axonal transport, neural stem cells proliferation and differentiation, and neuroinflammation. A few DYRK1A inhibitors have been tested on PD models, generally showing protective effects. The overall picture provided by this comprehensive review on the links between DYRK1A and PD advocates for more fundamental studies to understand how DYRK1A participates to the onset and development of PD and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), two closely related disorders. It also encourages the evaluation of well-characterized pharmacological modulators of DYRK1A as therapeutic approaches to various aspects of PD and DLB.