The emerging role of autophagic-lysosomal dysfunction in Gaucher disease and Parkinson's disease.

Gaucher disease (GD), the commonest lysosomal storage disorder, results from the lack or functional deficiency of glucocerebrosidase (GCase) secondary to mutations in the gene. There is an established association between mutations and Parkinson's disease (PD), and indeed mutations are now considered to be the greatest genetic risk factor for PD. Impaired lysosomal-autophagic degradation of cellular proteins, including α-synuclein (α-syn), is implicated in the pathogenesis of PD, and there is increasing evidence for this also in GD and -PD.