title: SNCA Gene, but Not MAPT, Influences Onset Age of Parkinson's Disease in Chinese and Australians.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  α-Synuclein (SNCA) and microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) are the two major genes independently, but not jointly, associated with susceptibility for Parkinson's disease (PD). The SNCA gene has recently been identified as a major modifier of age of PD onset. Whether MAPT gene synergistically influences age of onset of PD is unknown. Objective. To investigate independent and joint effects of MAPT and SNCA on PD onset age.
  
  
  METHODS
  412 patients with PD were recruited from the Australian PD Research Network (123) and the Neurology Department, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University, China (289). MAPT (rs17650901) tagging H1/H2 haplotype and SNCA (Rep1) were genotyped in the Australian cohort, and MAPT (rs242557, rs3744456) and SNCA (rs11931074, rs894278) were genotyped in the Chinese cohort. SPSS regression analysis was used to test genetic effects on age at onset of PD in each cohort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SNCA polymorphisms associated with the onset age of PD in both populations. MAPT polymorphisms did not enhance such association in either entire cohort.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that, in both ethnic groups, SNCA gene variants influence the age at onset of PD and α-synuclein plays a key role in the disease course of PD.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Australia and The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6051-2241
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0912-2146
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Australia and The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: John B J
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mastaglia
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Sheng-Di
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Australia and The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Glenda
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0422-8398
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Halliday
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000235:genetics*; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C054369:MAPT protein, human; C497604:SNCA protein, human; D051844:alpha-Synuclein; D016875:tau Proteins