Drosophila pink1 is required for mitochondrial function and interacts genetically with parkin

The PINK1 gene was recently implicated in autosomal recessive juvenile Parkinson's disease. Two groups have studied the equivalent gene in the fruitfly Drosophila, and find that it localizes to mitochondria in vivo and is essential to mitochondrial function. It also interacts genetically with parkin, another familial Parkinson's disease-related gene that encodes Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase. The pink1-parkin pathway in Drosophila should provide a powerful tool for the study of the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration and for screening agents of possible therapeutic interest.