Am Mittwoch, 12. Juni 2019, wird Prof. Dr. Rudi Balling einen Vortrag im Rahmen der ZBI “Distinguished Speaker Series” zum Thema “The pathogenesis of chronic diseases: Common mechanisms at play?” halten.

Abstract

Many of the chronic, age related diseases such as cancer, metabolic or neurodegenerative diseases share certain hallmarks. These include evidence for mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammatory signatures or disturbances in proteostasis or secretory function. We have obtained evidence for a key role of DJ-1, a familial Parkinson’s disease gene, as a regulator of the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), influencing the ability of a cell to switch between glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. Based on the central nature of this switch in cellular and energy metabolism I will present a hypothesis and potential explanation for the concomitant increase in the prevalence of different chronic diseases and their comorbidities, including neuropsychiatric diseases.