Structural analysis of the full-length human LRRK2.
Myasnikov, A., Zhu, H., Hixson, P., Xie, B., Yu, K., Pitre, A., Peng, J., Sun, J.(2021) Cell 184: 3519
- PubMed: 34107286 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.05.004
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
7LHT, 7LHW, 7LI3, 7LI4 - PubMed Abstract: 
Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are commonly implicated in the pathogenesis of both familial and sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). LRRK2 regulates critical cellular processes at membranous organelles and forms microtubule-based pathogenic filaments, yet the molecular basis underlying these biological roles of LRRK2 remains largely enigmatic. Here, we determined high-resolution structures of full-length human LRRK2, revealing its architecture and key interdomain scaffolding elements for rationalizing disease-causing mutations. The kinase domain of LRRK2 is captured in an inactive state, a conformation also adopted by the most common PD-associated mutation, LRRK2 G2019S . This conformation serves as a framework for structure-guided design of conformational specific inhibitors. We further determined the structure of COR-mediated LRRK2 dimers and found that single-point mutations at the dimer interface abolished pathogenic filamentation in cells. Overall, our study provides mechanistic insights into physiological and pathological roles of LRRK2 and establishes a structural template for future therapeutic intervention in PD.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; Cryo-EM and Tomography Center, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.