Parkinson disease 7, also known as PARK7, is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 which in humans is encoded by the PARK7 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

. It is also known as DJ-1.

Function

PARK7 belongs to the peptidase C56 family of proteins. It acts as a positive regulator of androgen receptor

Androgen receptor

The androgen receptor , also known as NR3C4 , is a type of nuclear receptor that is activated by binding of either of the androgenic hormones testosterone or dihydrotestosterone in the cytoplasm and then translocating into the nucleus...

-dependent transcription. It may also function as a redox-sensitive chaperone, as a sensor for oxidative stress

Oxidative stress

Oxidative stress represents an imbalance between the production and manifestation of reactive oxygen species and a biological system's ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage...

, and it apparently protects neurons against oxidative stress and cell death.

Clinical significance

Defects in this gene are the cause of autosomal recessive early-onset Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...

 7.

Interactions

PARK7 has been shown to interact

Protein-protein interaction

Protein–protein interactions occur when two or more proteins bind together, often to carry out their biological function. Many of the most important molecular processes in the cell such as DNA replication are carried out by large molecular machines that are built from a large number of protein...

 with EFCAB6

EFCAB6

EF-hand calcium-binding domain-containing protein 6 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EFCAB6 gene.-Interactions:EFCAB6 has been shown to interact with PARK7 and Androgen receptor.-Further reading:...

 and Protein inhibitor of activated STAT2

Protein inhibitor of activated STAT2

E3 SUMO-protein ligase PIAS2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PIAS2 gene.-Interactions:Protein inhibitor of activated STAT2 has been shown to interact with Androgen receptor, DNMT3A, PARK7 and UBE2I.-Further reading:...

.

Further reading