title: Functional promoter region polymorphism of the proinflammatory chemokine IL-8 gene associates with Parkinson's disease in the Irish.
abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders and is characterized by the progressive loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra. There is increasing evidence to suggest the inflammatory response of the brain contributes to the pathogenesis of PD. This study investigated the frequency of polymorphism located in the critical promoter region of the proinflammatory cytokine genes: interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) within a cohort of patients with PD in comparison to a group of healthy elderly individuals. No association was observed for single nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter regions of the IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-alpha genes. The single nucleotide polymorphism in the chemokine IL-8 gene was observed to associate with PD and appeared to be independent of age at onset. This association further supports the theory that the proinflammatory response in the brains of patients with PD plays a role in the pathogenesis of the disease and warrants further investigation into the role of chemokines in the brain, and a more detailed analysis of the genetics involved in the immune response of the brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Belfast, Ireland. owenaross@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Owen A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: I Maeve
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Rea
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gosal
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Martin D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Curran
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.forename: J Mark
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gibson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000235:genetics*; D007494:Ireland; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D016209:Interleukin-8