Fig. 7From: Down-regulation of p21-activated serine/threonine kinase 1 is involved in loss of mesencephalic dopamine neuronsModel of PAK1 roles in the pathogenesis of diseases. An oxidative stress might induce activation of a phosphatase for PAK1 or inhibit phosphorylation of PAK1 via other mechanisms. Consequently, the down-regulation of PAK1 activity decreases the phosphorylation of Bcl-2 and the dephosphorylated Bcl-2 proteins are to be more susceptible to an ubiquitin/proteasome-dependent degradation. Reduction of Bcl-2 level induces loss of cells, such as mesencephalic dopamine neurons, thereby inducing Parkinson’s disease (PD)Back to article page