FAF1

Class

inhibitor

FAF1, or Fas-associated factor 1, is a scaffold protein that participates in cellular stress and death signaling pathways. It was originally identified as a partner of the Fas receptor, a cell-surface protein that triggers programmed cell death (apoptosis) when activated. Beyond this role, FAF1 has been shown to interact with alpha-synuclein, a protein that misfolds and aggregates in Parkinson's disease, and to suppress a key cell-survival signaling cascade centered on the kinase Akt. Elevated or overactive FAF1 has been observed in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease, where it is thought to contribute to the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons by tilting the balance away from survival signaling and toward degeneration. Inhibiting FAF1 is therefore explored as a potential neuroprotective strategy, aiming to slow neuronal loss rather than simply manage symptoms of dopamine deficiency. Because FAF1 sits at an intersection of apoptotic signaling, protein quality control, and stress responses, modulating it is relevant not only to Parkinson's disease but potentially to other conditions involving abnormal protein aggregation or excessive neuronal or cellular death. This makes FAF1 inhibition a mechanistically distinct approach compared to therapies that only address neurotransmitter levels.