ROS removal by DJ-1: Arabidopsis as a new model to understand Parkinson's Disease.

Reactive oxygen species represent one of the principal factors that cause cell death and scavenging of reactive oxygen species by superoxide dismutase-related pathway is essential for cell survival. The Parkinson's Disease-related DJ-1 protein (also known as PARK7) has been implicated in resistance against oxidative stress in dopaminergic neurons however, its molecular mechanism has to date been unknown. We have used Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system to demonstrate that DJ-1, in both plant and mammalian cells, directly influence SOD activity in a highly conserved manner thereby preventing cell death. These data not only provides evidence for the molecular mechanisms associated with DJ-1-induced Parkinson's Disease but also highlight the unprecedented value of plants as a tool in understanding human disease mechanisms.