Compact Parkin only: insights into the structure of an autoinhibited ubiquitin ligase.

Mutations in Parkin represent ~50% of disease-causing defects in autosomal recessive-juvenile onset Parkinson's disease (AR-JP). Recently, there have been four structural reports of autoinhibited forms of this RING-IBR-RING (RBR) ubiquitin ligase (E3) by the Gehring, Komander, Johnston and Shaw groups. The important advances from these studies set the stage for the next steps in understanding the molecular basis for Parkinson's disease (PD).