Attenuation of epigenetic regulator SMARCA4 and ERK‐ETS signaling suppresses aging‐related dopaminergic degeneration

How complex interactions of genetic, environmental factors and aging jointly contribute to dopaminergic degeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD) is largely unclear. Here, we applied frequent gene co‐expression analysis on human patient substantia nigra‐specific microarray datasets to identify potential novel disease‐related genes. In vivo Drosophila studies validated two of 32 candidate genes, a chromatin‐remodeling factor SMARCA4 and a biliverdin reductase BLVRA. Inhibition of SMARCA4 was able to prevent aging‐dependent dopaminergic degeneration not only caused by overexpression of BLVRA but also in four most common Drosophila PD models. Furthermore, down‐regulation of SMARCA4 specifically in the dopaminergic neurons prevented shortening of life span caused by α‐synuclein and LRRK2. Mechanistically, aberrant SMARCA4 and BLVRA converged on elevated ERK‐ETS activity, attenuation of which by either genetic or pharmacological manipulation effectively suppressed dopaminergic degeneration in Drosophila in vivo. Down‐regulation of SMARCA4 or drug inhibition of MEK/ERK also mitigated mitochondrial defects in PINK1 (a PD‐associated gene)‐deficient human cells. Our findings underscore the important role of epigenetic regulators and implicate a common signaling axis for therapeutic intervention in normal aging and a broad range of age‐related disorders including PD. Using bioinformatics analysis of large‐scale human transcriptomic data and Drosophila disease models, Sun et al. identified novel Parkinson's disease (PD) genes and revealed a potential common pathogenic signaling pathway consisting of the chromatin‐remodeling factor SMARCA4 and the ERK‐ETS signaling axis in normal aging and age‐related disorders such as PD. The cancer drug Trametinib, previously shown to have lifespan extending capacity, was found to have therapeutic potency in multiple PD disease models.