EMBO J (2013) 32 23, 3041–3054 ; DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2013.228; published online October 15 2013
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterised by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and accumulation of pathological inclusions containing α-synuclein termed Lewy bodies. However, to date the precise function of α-synuclein has remained elusive along with the mechanism of neuronal death. A paper published in this issue of EMBO Journal provides insight into the mechanism of α-synuclein-induced neuronal death and thereby reveals potential new targets for therapeutic intervention. Büttner et al (2013) highlight Endonuclease-G as a key executioner in α-synuclein toxicity and show that inhibiting mitochondrial release of Endonuclease-G can protect against α-synuclein toxicity.