Dr. Jordan Follett, University of British Columbia
$80,000 over 2 years funded by Parkinson Society British Columbia through the Parkinson Canada Research Program during the 2017 – 2022 research funding cycle
Project description:
Within our cells, RNA molecules are one of the essential building blocks of life. They carry the instructions from DNA to create proteins, and proteins direct cell function.
At the University of British Columbia, Jordan Follett, a post-doctoral fellow and neuroscientist, is studying the retromer complex, a sorting complex that may communicate where RNA should be positioned within cells. Follett is investigating what happens when the signalling network controlling this process is disrupted.
Follett’s research, which involves mouse models, examines the impact of mutated genes within this complex. The genes are implicated in Parkinson’s disease.
Brain cells that produce dopamine, the chemical that is critical to healthy movement, are high energy cells that need RNA to react quickly to produce proteins, particularly if those cells are stressed by toxins or other threats.
If the RNA is misplaced and can’t react quickly to produce proteins in distressed cells, the cells can’t adapt to changes. They become vulnerable and die, Follett believes.
“It’s easy to imagine that if you have a particular part of your body that doesn’t move proteins from Spot A to Spot B, that would lead to a lot of cells being unhappy – particularly neurons,” Follett says.
Unhappy neurons could then lead to Parkinson’s disease.
Reproduced with permission from Parkinson Canada.