This Italian paper tells about DJ-1, a protein related to PD and to mitochondria, where the main problem in PD is hiding, in Compex 1. The very first PBD434 paper ( Finkelstein DI et al, 2017) demonstrated that "Levels of DJ-1 were significantly elevated with MPTP treatment in the absence of drug (VEH) and significantly further elevated with PBT434".
So it may be that ATH434 really works on mitochondrion level by elevating DJ-1. Just my speculation, however.

This is a free paper. Here is the abstract.

Neurobiol Dis

. 2022 Dec 3;105941.

doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105941. Online ahead of print.

DJ-1 promotes energy balance by regulating both mitochondrial and autophagic homeostasis

Federica De Lazzari ¹, Francesco Agostini ², Nicoletta Plotegher ³, Michele Sandre ⁴, Elisa Greggio ⁵, Aram Megighian ⁶, Luigi Bubacco ⁷, Federica Sandrelli ⁸, Alexander J Whitworth ⁹, Marco Bisaglia ¹⁰

Affiliations expand

• PMID: 36473592

DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105941

Abstract

The protein DJ-1 is mutated in rare familial forms of recessive Parkinson's disease and in parkinsonism accompanied by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis symptoms and dementia. DJ-1 is considered a multitasking protein able to confer protection under various conditions of stress. However, the precise cellular function remains still elusive. In the present work, we evaluated fruit flies lacking the expression of the DJ-1 homolog dj-1β as compared to control aged-matched individuals. Behavioral evaluations included lifespan, locomotion in an open field arena, sensitivity to oxidative insults, and resistance to starvation. Molecular analyses were carried out by analyzing the mitochondrial morphology and functionality, and the autophagic response. We demonstrated that dj-1β null mutant flies are hypoactive and display higher sensitivity to oxidative insults and food deprivation. Analysis of the mitochondrial homeostasis revealed that loss of dj-1β leads to larger and more circular mitochondria, characterized by impaired complex-I-linked respiration while preserving ATP production capacity. Additionally, dj-1β null mutant flies present an impaired autophagic response, which is suppressed by treatment with the antioxidant molecule N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine. Overall, our data point to a mechanism whereby DJ-1 plays a critical role in the maintenance of energy homeostasis, by sustaining mitochondrial homeostasis and affecting the autophagic flux through the maintenance of the cellular redox state. In light of the involvement of DJ-1 in neurodegenerative diseases and considering that neurons are highly energy-demand cells, particularly sensitive to redox stress, our study sheds light on a key role of DJ-1 in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis.