Parkinson Disease: From Cellular and Animal Models to Genomics

Parkinson disease is one of the most common human neurodegenerative diseases. Its importance has led to a large number of studies focused on the development of cellular and animal models for the disease. We first discuss the potentials and limitations of the available mammalian models for PD. The results obtained so far in some alternative models, such as yeasts or invertebrates (Drosophila, Caenorhabditis), that may be used to develop rapid genetic or pharmacological screenings, are also summarized. Finally, we briefly discuss the results derived from novel approaches, such as the analysis of expression profiles using microarrays and proteomic analyses of cellular and animal models of Parkinson disease. Integration of the data derived from all those approaches emerges as a significant problem to be solved in the next few years.