Guenter Schwarz

Keywords AP-2 Purkinje cell neurodegeneration ataxia climbing fibers parallel fibers GRID2IP GLURδ2 Research topic(s) CP: Neuroscience Introduction Purkinje cells in the cerebellum play a vital role in motor learning and adaptation,1,2,3 and their dysfunction or degeneration is a hallmark of neurodegenerative movement disorders with ataxic symptoms. Despite extensive research, the mechanisms governing Purkinje cell survival remain elusive.

Abstract Dysfunctions in autophagy, a cellular mechanism for breaking down components within lysosomes, often lead to neurodegeneration. The specific mechanisms underlying neuronal vulnerability due to autophagy dysfunction remain elusive. Here we show that autophagy contributes to cerebellar Purkinje cell (PC) survival by safeguarding their glycolytic activity.

Simon J. Mayr‡, Juliane Röper‡ and Guenter Schwarz‡,§1 ‡Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany §Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, 5931 Cologne, Germany ↵1 To whom correspondence should be addressed: Zülpicher Str. 47, 50674 Cologne, Germany. Tel.: 49-221-470-6441; Fax: 49-221-470-5092; E-mail: gschwarz{at}uni-koeln.de.