Variation in the miRNA-433 binding site of FGF20 is a risk factor for Parkinson's disease in Iranian population

DNA variations in the fibroblast growth factor 20 gene have been reported to be associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). The rs12720208, a functional SNP located in the 3'UTR region of the gene, was reported as a risk factor for PD. A number of studies, which tried to replicate the result in different populations, failed to detect any associations. In this study, we genotyped rs2720208 SNP in 520 PD patients and 520 healthy controls both from Iran. Significant differences were found in allele and genotype frequencies between patients and controls (p<0.0001 for both). Our results suggest that the rs12720208 polymorphism may be a risk factor for PD in Iranian population.