Intriguingly, a recent study showed that En-1 also stimulates translation of mRNAs encoding mitochondrial complex I subunits and protects against degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons in an animal model of Parkinson's disease (Alvarez-Fischer et al., 2011), suggesting that the translational control of mRNAs encoding nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins in axons is a conserved mechanism to regulate axonal survival. The gene discussed is EN1; the disease is Parkinson disease.