DJ-1 is a Parkinson's disease associated protein endowed with enzymatic, redox sensing, regulatory, chaperoning, and neuroprotective activities. Although DJ-1 has been vigorously studied for the past decade and a half, its exact role in the progressi ...
DJ-1 is a Parkinson's disease associated protein endowed with enzymatic, redox sensing, regulatory, chaperoning, and neuroprotective activities. Although DJ-1 has been vigorously studied for the past decade and a half, its exact role in the progression of the disease remains uncertain. In addition, little is known about the spatiotemporal regulation of DJ-1, or the biochemical basis explaining its numerous biological functions. Progress has been hampered by the lack of inhibitors with precisely known mechanisms of action. Herein, we have employed biophysical methodologies and X-ray crystallography to identify and to optimize a family of compounds inactivating the critical Cys106 residue of human DJ-1. We demonstrate these compounds are potent inhibitors of various activities of DJ-1 in vitro and in cell-based assays. This study reports a new family of DJ-1 inhibitors with a defined mechanism of action, and contributes toward the understanding of the biological function of DJ-1.
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Thermodynamic and structural characterization of the specific binding of Zn(II) to human protein DJ-1. Tashiro, S.,Caaveiro, J.M.M.,Wu, C.X.,Hoang, Q.Q.,Tsumoto, K. (2014) Biochemistry 53: 2218
Organizational Affiliation: 
Institute of Medical Science , The University of Tokyo , Tokyo 108-8639 , Japan.,Ubiquitin Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science , 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa , Setagaya, Tokyo 156-8506 , Japan.,Laboratory of Global Healthcare, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences , Kyushu University , Fukuoka 812-8582 , Japan.,Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering , The University of Tokyo , Tokyo 108-8639 , Japan.,Department of Material and Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Science , Yamagata University , Yamagata 990-8560 , Japan.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Loyola University Chicago , Chicago , Illinois 60660 , United States.,Department of Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering , The University of Tokyo , Tokyo 113-8656 , Japan.