Enzymes in Neurodegenerative Disorders: Mechanism and Therapeutic Potentials - Role of Enzymes in Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal disease affecting the striatum region of the brain. The gene responsible for HD is called Huntingtin. The onset of the disease depends on cysteine–adenine–guanine expansion. The striatum is the critical part of the brain affected by many movement disorders. Damage to the striatum can lead to uncontrolled movements of the face, trunk and limbs. These symptoms can worsen over time, then turn into abnormal and later into a life-threatening and fatal state. The enzymes responsible for these diseases are ubiquitin-modifying enzymes, phosphodiesterase and glutamic acid decarboxylase. There is no medicine that can treat, halt, slow, or reverse the progression of the disease. However, many interventions and medications are suggested by neurologists, psychiatrists and experts in HD to ease the anxiety, depression and troublesome comorbidities of HD.