Genetic polymorphisms involved in dopaminergic neurotransmission and risk for Parkinson's disease in a Japanese population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by alterations in dopaminergic neurotransmission. Genetic polymorphisms involved in dopaminergic neurotransmission may influence susceptibility to PD.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We investigated the relationship of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), monoamine oxidase B (MAOB), dopamine receptor (DR) D2 and DRD4 polymorphisms and PD risk with special attention to the interaction with cigarette smoking among 238 patients with PD and 369 controls in a Japanese population.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Subjects with the AA genotype of <it>MAOB </it>rs1799836 showed a significantly increased risk of PD (odds ratio (OR) = 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12 - 2.58) compared with the AG and GG genotypes combined. The AA genotype of <it>COMT </it>rs4680 was marginally associated with an increased risk of PD (OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 0.98 - 3.50) compared with the GG genotype. The <it>DRD2 </it>rs1800497 and <it>DRD4 </it>rs1800955 polymorphisms showed no association with PD. A <it>COMT </it>-smoking interaction was suggested, with the combined GA and AA genotypes of rs4680 and non-smoking conferring significantly higher risk (OR = 3.97, 95% CI = 2.13 - 7.41) than the AA genotype and a history of smoking (P for interaction = 0.061). No interactions of smoking with other polymorphisms were observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The <it>COMT </it>rs4680 and <it>MAOB </it>rs1799836 polymorphisms may increase susceptibility to PD risk among Japanese. Future studies involving larger control and case populations and better pesticide exposure histories will undoubtedly lead to a more thorough understanding of the role of the polymorphisms involved in the dopamine pathway in PD.</p>

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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