Researchers have found that mutations in a gene linked to hereditary forms of Parkinson’s disease — SLC30A10 — cause accumulation of toxic levels of manganese inside cells, which disturbs protein transport and alters nerve cell function, leading to parkinsonian symptoms. The study, titled “SLC30A10 Mutation Involved in Parkinsonism Results in Manganese Accumulation within Nanovesicles of the Golgi Apparatus” was published in the the January 16, 2019 issue of ACS Chemical Neuroscience. Manganese is an essential metal that helps enzymes carry out their functions in the body. However, too much manganese is toxic, especially for the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), where its accumulation can lead to parkinsonian-like syndromes. The SLC30A10 gene encodes an important manganese transport protein, which sits at the membrane of cells and pumps out manganese, to protect cells against this metal’s toxicity. However, mutations in the SLC30A10 gene block the protein’s pumping activity, resulting in manganese accumulation. Mutations in this gene have been identified as the cause of new forms of hereditary Parkinson’s disease. “Understanding the means by which mutations in SLC30A10 alter cellular Mn [manganese] homeostasis [manganese equilibrium] is expected to enhance understanding of the principles underlying Mn toxicity itself,” researchers wrote, which may render important information to fight certain forms of familial Parkinson’s disease. A team of French researchers,together with colleagues from Germany and the United States, used advanced imaging techniques to find where manganese accumulates inside cells (cell lines available for laboratory research) carrying disease-causing SLC30A10 mutations versus cells carrying a normal, functional SLC30A10 gene (control cells).Login Or Register To Read Full Story