PRKN and Parkinson disease: GAK activity affects PRKN-independent mitophagy by altering the mitochondrial network and lysosome morphology, shedding light on the regulation of mitophagy.373 Downregulation of auxilin, the homolog of GAK in Drosophila, leads to impaired climbing ability, shortened lifespan, and dopaminergic neuron loss.374 In vitro experiments demonstrated that knockdown of GAK in cells overexpressing α-syn increased α-syn level and resulted in cytotoxicity,375 suggesting that GAK may play a protective role in PD.