Mitochondrial DNA A4336G mutation in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) A4336G mutation represents a risk factor for Spanish patients with both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD).


METHODS
One hundred and sixty-one AD and 106 PD unrelated patients were included in the study. Seventy-eight age-matched and 144 randomly chosen healthy subjects served as controls. The frequency of the A4336G mutation in these groups was compared using the chi(2) and Fisher's exact tests. p < 0.05 was established as a statistically significant differential value.


RESULTS
The mtDNA A4336G mutation was present in 1/161 of AD patients (0.6%), in 3/106 of PD patients (2.8%), in 1/78 of age-matched controls (1.3%) and in 2/144 of the randomly chosen controls (1.4%). These differences were not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results do not support the hypothesis that this mutation represents a risk factor for either AD or PD patients, at least in the case of this Spanish sample.
García-Lozano
José Raúl
JR
Servicio de Inmunología, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Servicio Andaluz de Salud, Sevilla, España. rglozano@hvr.junta-andalucia.es
Mir
Pablo
P
Alberca
Román
R
Aguilera
Isabel
I
Gil Néciga
Eulogio
E
Fernández-López
Olga
O
Cayuela
Aurelio
A
Núñez-Roldan
Antonio
A
D000368:Aged; D000409:Alanine / Q000235:genetics; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005998:Glycine / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D000409:Alanine; D005998:Glycine