Various genetic mutations have been found in familial forms of
PD. The most common mutation occurs in dardarin/LRRK2
encoding gene (PARK8) that appears to be a member of
multifunctional Ras/GTPase family (Zimprich et al., 2004). This
research area is now a matter of strong scientific interest, as
genetic factors have been found to play the key role in other
diseases (Wiechec, 2011; Wiechec and Hansen, 2009). In situ
hybridization-based studies displayed high expression of LRRK2 in
dopamine-innervated areas in brains of both patients with PD and
controls (Galter et al., 2006). The most convincing evidence for the
role of LRRK2 in PD obtained from a cellular study that showed the interaction of LRRK2 and death adaptor Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD) resulted in the switching-on of the
extrinsic apoptotic pathway via caspase-8 activation (Ho et al.,
2009).