Imbalance of Lysine Acetylation Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders. The neuropathological features of PD are selective and progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, deficiencies in striatal dopamine levels, and the presence of intracellular Lewy bodies. Interactions among aging and genetic and environmental factors are considered to underlie the common etiology of PD, which involves multiple changes in cellular processes. Recent studies suggest that changes in lysine acetylation and deacetylation of many proteins, including histones and nonhistone proteins, might be tightly associated with PD pathogenesis. Here, we summarize the changes in lysine acetylation of both histones and nonhistone proteins, as well as the related lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) and lysine deacetylases (KDACs), in PD patients and various PD models. We discuss the potential roles and underlying mechanisms of these changes in PD and highlight that restoring the balance of lysine acetylation/deacetylation of histones and nonhistone proteins is critical for PD treatment. Finally, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different KAT/KDAC inhibitors or activators in the treatment of PD models and emphasize that SIRT1 and SIRT3 activators and SIRT2 inhibitors are the most promising effective therapeutics for PD.