Decreased NURR1 and PITX3 gene expression in Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease.
OBJECTIVE
The preferential degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta is the pathological hallmark in Parkinson's disease (PD). The transcription factors NURR1 and PITX3 have been shown to play a crucial role in the maturation and survival of mDA neurons, and both of them were potential susceptibility genes for PD.


METHODS
To determine whether NURR1 and PITX3 gene expression are altered in Chinese patients with PD, we measured their gene expression in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in 255 patients with PD and 211 age- and gender-matched healthy controls by quantitative real-time PCR technique.


RESULTS
We found that both NURR1 and PITX3 gene expression in PBL were significantly decreased in patients with PD as compared with controls (P < 0.0001). Lower levels of NURR1 and PITX3 gene expression were significantly associated with the increased risk for PD in male and older subjects, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results provide useful information that the NURR1 and PITX3 gene expression is decreased in the PBL of Chinese patients with PD, indicating their possible systemic involvement in PD.
Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
H
H
Liu
L
L
Wei
Q
Q
Tao
H
H
Deng
M
M
Ming
P
P
Xu
W
W
Le
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057126:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012372:ROC Curve; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C539882:NR4A2 protein, human; D057126:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; C433629:homeobox protein PITX3