The mediation of apoptosis-related protein in the TGF-β signaling pathway (ARTS) and X-liked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) by parkin plays a critical role in preventing Parkinson's disease.
Furthermore, we demonstrate that Nedd4, another E3 ubiquitin ligase that may have a role in PD, is functionally related to Sep4 and could be involved in regulating Sep4 subcellular localization/trafficking.
We present for the first time similar signal expression patterns and parallel accumulation of SEPT4 and alpha-synuclein in well-characterized postmortem PD brain.
Taken together, these data show that Sept4 may be involved in PD as a dual susceptibility factor, as its insufficiency can diminish dopaminergic neurotransmission and enhance alpha-synuclein neurotoxicity.