α-Synuclein and parkin: coming together of pieces in puzzle of Parkinson's disease.

Discusses a study by Hideki Shimura and colleagues which found focused on the molecular mechanisms of neural degeneration in Parkinson's disease and found that two proteins interact physically in the mechanisms. Role for α-synuclein, a nerve-terminal protein, in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease; Importance of understanding how specific sets of neurons are lost in the disorder; Outlook for research on autosomal recessive form of Parkinson's disease and for idiopathic Parkinson's disease.