Canadian researchers say the findings might help explain why only small parts of the brain are affected in the disease.
Parkinson's is caused by a loss of nerve cells in certain areas of the brain - but why these cells are vulnerable has been a mystery.
The work appears in Current Biology.
Tremor and stiffness
An estimated 127,000 people in the UK have Parkinson's disease, which can lead to a pronounced tremor, slow movement, and stiff and inflexible muscles.
In this paper, scientists from the University of Montreal studied the disease in mice cells.