Validating GWAS-Identified Risk Loci for Alzheimer's Disease in Han Chinese Populations

In recent years, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified many novel susceptible genes/loci for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, most of these studies were conducted in European and populations of European origin, and limited studies have been performed in Han Chinese. In this study, we genotyped 14 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in eight GWAS-reported AD risk genes in 1509 individuals comprising two independent Han Chinese case-control cohorts. Four SNPs (rs11234495, rs592297, rs676733, and rs3851179) in the PICALM gene were significantly associated with late-onset (LO)-AD in populations from Southwest China, whereas SNPs rs744373 (BIN1), rs9331942 (CLU), and rs670139 (MS4A4E) were linked to LO-AD in populations from East China. In the combined Han Chinese population, positive associations were observed between PICALM, CLU, MS4A4E genes, and LO-AD. The association between rs3851179 (PICALM), rs744373 (BIN1), and AD was further confirmed by meta-analysis of Asian populations. Our study verified the association between PICALM, BIN1, CLU, and MS4A4E variants and AD susceptibility in Han Chinese populations. We also discerned some regional differences concerning AD susceptibility SNPs.