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No evidence of association between the alpha-2 macroglobulin gene and Parkinson's disease in a case-control sample

Giuseppe Nicoletti1, Grazia Annesi, Carmine Tomaino

  • 1Institute of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, National Research Council, Mangone (CS), Italy.

Neuroscience Letters
|July 19, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Alpha-2 macroglobulin (A2M) gene variations were investigated in Parkinson's disease (PD). These specific A2M polymorphisms were not found to be a risk factor for PD or influence disease onset age.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Alpha-2 macroglobulin (A2M) is identified as a component of Lewy bodies.
  • Lewy bodies are a significant pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between two specific A2M polymorphisms and Parkinson's disease.
  • To determine if these A2M polymorphisms influence the age of PD onset.

Main Methods:

  • Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used.
  • Two A2M polymorphisms were analyzed: a 5' splice site deletion in exon 18 and an amino acid substitution (V1000I).
  • Allelic and genotypic distributions were compared between 159 PD patients and 190 healthy controls.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in the allelic or genotypic distribution of the studied A2M polymorphisms were observed between Parkinson's disease patients and controls.
  • The A2M polymorphisms did not correlate with early-onset versus late-onset PD.

Conclusions:

  • The investigated A2M polymorphisms do not appear to be a genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease.
  • These specific A2M variations do not seem to modulate the age of onset in Parkinson's disease patients.

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