Neurobiology: A Pathogenic Tug Of War

Pathogenic mutations in the kinase LRRK2 have been implicated in Parkinson's disease. A new study shows that hyperactivation of this kinase reduces the processivity of autophagosomal retrograde transport in axons through an unproductive 'tug-of-war' between anterograde and retrograde motors, thus contributing to autophagy dysfunction and axonal degeneration.