RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 AMP Kinase Activation Mitigates Dopaminergic Dysfunction and Mitochondrial Abnormalities in Drosophila Models of Parkinson's Disease JF The Journal of Neuroscience JO J. Neurosci. FD Society for Neuroscience SP 14311 OP 14317 DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0499-12.2012 VO 32 IS 41 A1 Chee-Hoe Ng A1 Melissa S. H. Guan A1 Cherlyn Koh A1 Xuezhi Ouyang A1 Fengwei Yu A1 Eng-King Tan A1 Sharon Philomena O'Neill A1 Xiaodong Zhang A1 Jongkyeong Chung A1 Kah-Leong Lim YR 2012 UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/41/14311.abstract AB Mutations in parkin and LRRK2 together account for the majority of familial Parkinson's disease (PD) cases. Interestingly, recent evidence implicates the involvement of parkin and LRRK2 in mitochondrial homeostasis. Supporting this, we show here by means of the Drosophila model system that, like parkin, LRRK2 mutations induce mitochondrial pathology in flies when expressed in their flight muscles, the toxic effects of which can be rescued by parkin coexpression. When expressed specifically in fly dopaminergic neurons, mutant LRRK2 results in the appearance of significantly enlarged mitochondria, a phenotype that can also be rescued by parkin coexpression. Importantly, we also identified in this study that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea-derived catechin, acts as a potent suppressor of dopaminergic and mitochondrial dysfunction in both mutant LRRK2 and parkin-null flies. Notably, the protective effects of EGCG are abolished when AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is genetically inactivated, suggesting that EGCG-mediated neuroprotection requires AMPK. Consistent with this, direct pharmacological or genetic activation of AMPK reproduces EGCG's protective effects. Conversely, loss of AMPK activity exacerbates neuronal loss and associated phenotypes in parkin and LRRK mutant flies. Together, our results suggest the relevance of mitochondrial-associated pathway in LRRK2 and parkin-related pathogenesis, and that AMPK activation may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for these familial forms of PD.