Possible roles of epigenetics in stem cell therapy for Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease with loss of dopaminergic neurons. PD has genetic and epigenetic influences that determine specific changes in the brain. Epigenetic changes result in defective methylation of genes leading to differential gene-expression causing PD. This review provides an overview of stem cell transplantations as potential therapies for PD, with a focus on the epigenetic changes, prior or following transplantation. To date, no reports have addressed epigenetic alterations following stem cell transplantation into the PD brain. Given the potential for affecting the efficacy of stem cell therapy, increased attention needs to be given to the epigenetic processes that occur during stem cell culture and transplantation to maximize the therapeutic potential of stem cells to PD.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; epigenetics; methylation; stem cell therapy; stem cell transplantations; stem cells.