Main description:

This is the first book to assemble the leading researchers in the field of LRRK2 biology and neurology and provide a snapshot of the current state of knowledge, encompassing all major aspects of its function and dysfunction. The contributors are experts in cell biology and physiology, neurobiology, and medicinal chemistry, bringing a multidisciplinary perspective on the gene and its role in disease. The book covers the identification of LRRK2 as a major contributor to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease. It also discusses the current state of the field after a decade of research, putative normal physiological roles of LRRK2, and the various pathways that have been identified in the search for the mechanism(s) of its induction of neurodegeneration.

Contents:

Part I: Clinical and Genetic Considerations of LRRK2 Associated Parkinson's Disease.- Leucine-rich repeat kinase (LRRK2) genetics and Parkinson's disease.- Clinical features of LRRK2 carriers with Parkinson's disease.- Part II: Fundamentals of LRRK2 Biology.- LRRK2 phosphorylation.- Understanding the GTPase activity of LRRK2: regulation, function and neurotoxicity.- LRRK2 and autophagy.- Molecular insights and functional implication of LRRK2 dimerization.- LRRK2 and the immune system.- Regulation of LRRK2 by phosphatases.- Part III: LRRK2 Neurodegeneration, Modeling, and Therapeutic Options.- Animal models of LRRK2-associated Parkinson's disease.- LRRK2 and the "LRRKtosome" at the crossroads of programmed cell death: Clues from RIP kinase relatives.- Interaction of LRRK2 and -synuclein in Parkinson's disease.- Mechanisms of mutant LRRK2 neurodegeneration.- Small molecule inhibitors of LRRK2.