Parkin and Hsp70 sacked by BAG5

Abstract

Loss-of-function mutations in the parkin gene, which encodes an E3 ubiquitin ligase, are the major cause of early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD). In this issue of Neuron, Kalia et al. show that the bcl-2-associated athanogene 5 (BAG5) enhances dopamine neuron death in an in vivo model of PD through inhibiting the E3 ligase activity of parkin and the chaperone activity of Hsp70.