SnRNA Sequencing Uncovers Heterogenous Transcriptional Signatures in Parkinson s Disease Associated with Nurr1 Defect

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological illness that still baffles many medical professionals despite numerous studies that have been carried out on it over the years. While a few cases are inherited, the majority of the genesis of the disease is still relatively unknown. One of the defining features of Parkinson's disease is the chronic and gradual loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Currently, hereditary causes are responsible for about 10% of all cases, and several genes, including Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), Parkinson disease-1 (PARK1), Parkinson disease-2 (PARK2), Parkinson disease-6 (PARK6), and Deglycase (DJ-1), have been strongly linked to Parkinson's disease. Notably, Nurr1, a nuclear receptor-related factor 1 gene, was found to have mutations in ten out of 107 individuals with hereditary Parkinson's disease. While multiple studies have shown that NURR1 deficiency is associated with Parkinson's disease, the mechanism of action is still perplexing.