The Role of Pink1/Parkin in the Intestinal Epithelium

Recent studies have suggested a potential connection between the gut and neurodegeneration in Parkinon’s disease. The Parkinson’s associated genes Pink1/Parkin have been implicated in mitochondrial function of neurons, but are also expressed in the gut, although little is known about their functional role. This team will use colon biopsy-derived human tissue cultures and organoids to investigate the role of Pink1/Parkin signaling in mitochondrial function in the intestinal epithelium.