Apoptosis is involved in the machinism of many diseases as an important physiological and pathological phenomenon. The transcription factor CHOP/GADD153 is induced by stress and plays distinct roles in apoptosis pathway. In this review we summaries the current understanding of its structure, characteristics, function, expression and regulation as well as its roles in the neurodegenerative disease, mainly Parkinson’s disease, which can become a new target of neuroprotective therapy.