Dysregulation of autophagy and Parkinson's disease: the MEF2D link.

Autophagy refers to the process by which lysosomes degrade intracellular components. Three basic forms of it, macro-, micro-, and chaperon-mediated autophagy, exist in cells. Several studies have shown that dysregulation of macroautophagy compromises the viability of neurons. Recent evidence indicates that chaperone-mediated autophagy plays a role in direct degradation of neuronal transcription factor MEF2D, a protein known to promote neuronal survival. Disruption of this regulatory pathway by α-synuclein leads to neuronal stress, which may underlie neuronal loss in Parkinson's disease.