Association of the functional SNP rs2275294 in ZNF512B with risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease in Han Chinese

The panoramic view of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A fatal intricate neurological disorder

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal neurological disease affecting both upper and lower motor neurons. In the United States alone, there are 16,000-20,000 established cases of ALS. The early disease diagnosis is challenging due to many overlapping pathophysiologies with other neurological diseases. The etiology of ALS is unknown; however, it is divided into two categories: familial ALS (fALS) which occurs due to gene mutations & contributes to 5-10% of ALS, and sporadic ALS (sALS) which is due to environmental factors & contributes to 90-95% of ALS. There is still no curative treatment for ALS: palliative care and symptomatic treatment are therefore essential components in the management of these patients. In this review, we provide a panoramic view of ALS, which includes epidemiology, risk factors, pathophysiologies, biomarkers, diagnosis, therapeutics (natural, synthetic, gene-based, pharmacological, stem cell, extracellular vesicles, and physical therapy), controversies (in the clinical trials of ALS), the scope of nanomedicine in ALS, and future perspectives.

Sex-dependent effect of APOE on Alzheimer's disease and other age-related neurodegenerative disorders

The importance of apolipoprotein E (APOE) in late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) has been firmly established, but the mechanisms through which it exerts its pathogenic effects remain elusive. In addition, the sex-dependent effects of APOE on LOAD risk and endophenotypes have yet to be explained. In this Review, we revisit the different aspects of APOE involvement in neurodegeneration and neurological diseases, with particular attention to sex differences in the contribution of APOE to LOAD susceptibility. We discuss the role of APOE in a broader range of age-related neurodegenerative diseases, and summarize the biological factors linking APOE to sex hormones, drawing on supportive findings from rodent models to identify major mechanistic themes underlying the exacerbation of LOAD-associated neurodegeneration and pathology in the female brain. Additionally, we list sex-by-genotype interactions identified across neurodegenerative diseases, proposing APOE variants as a shared etiology for sex differences in the manifestation of these diseases. Finally, we present recent advancements in 'omics' technologies, which provide a new platform for more in-depth investigations of how dysregulation of this gene affects the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Collectively, the evidence summarized in this Review highlights the interplay between APOE and sex as a key factor in the etiology of LOAD and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases. We emphasize the importance of careful examination of sex as a contributing factor in studying the underpinning genetics of neurodegenerative diseases in general, but particularly for LOAD.

Meta-analysis of the association between ZNF512B polymorphism rs2275294 and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common motor neuron disease, appears to result from the combination of genetic and environmental factors. Whether the rs2275294 polymorphism in the ZNF512B gene influences ALS risk is controversial. We meta-analysed the association between rs2275294 and ALS risk based on evidence published in the PubMed database. Five case-control studies involving 2559 patients with sporadic ALS and 5740 controls were analysed. Based on random-effects meta-analysis, the polymorphism rs2275294 was associated with increased risk of ALS disease in an allele model (C vs. T: OR 1.222, 95%CI 1.057 to 1.414, p = 0.007). The available evidence suggests that the ZNF512B polymorphism rs2275294 is associated with ALS risk. These results should be validated in large, well-designed studies, especially in non-Asian populations.

Lack of association between the P413L variant of chromogranin B and ALS risk or age at onset: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common motor neuron disease, is thought to result from interaction of genetic and environmental risk factors. Whether the potentially functional exonic P413L variant in the chromogranin B gene influences ALS risk and age at onset is controversial.

METHOD

We meta-analysed or other studies assessing the association between the P413L variant and ALS risk or age at ALS onset indexed in Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and SinoMed databases.

RESULTS

Five case-control studies were analysed, involving 2639 patients with sporadic ALS, 201 with familial ALS and 3381 controls. No association was detected between risk of either ALS type and the CT + TT genotype or T-allele of the P413L variant. Age at ALS onset was similar between carriers and non-carriers of the T-allele.

CONCLUSION

The available evidence suggests that the P413L variant of chromogranin B is not associated with ALS risk or age at ALS onset. These results should be validated in large, well-designed studies.

Genetic Analysis of the ZNF512B, SLC41A1, and ALDH2 Polymorphisms in Parkinson's Disease in the Iranian Population

AIMS

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders; its etiology includes both genetic and environmental factors and their interactions. The ZNF512B, SLC41A1, and ALDH2 genes have recently been identified as contributing to PD. In this study we investigated the association of alleles of these genes with PD in the Iranian population.

METHODS

In a case-control study, rs2275294, rs11240569, and rs4767944, three single nucleotide polymorphisms in ZNF512B, SLC41A1, and ALDH2 genes, respectively, were genotyped in 490 PD patients and 490 controls. The genotype and allele frequencies were compared between the two groups using chi-square and logistic regression tests.

RESULTS

A significant association between the rs11240569 polymorphism and a reduced risk of PD was found (p = 0.014, OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.60-0.94 for allele frequencies). We did not find any associations between PD and the rs2275294 and rs4767944 polymorphisms.

CONCLUSION

The association of rs11240569 polymorphism in SLC41A1 gene with reduced risk of PD was replicated in our population.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and motor neuron syndromes in Asia

While the past 2 decades have witnessed an increasing understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) arising from East Asia, particularly Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China, knowledge of ALS throughout the whole of Asia remains limited. Asia represents >50% of the world population, making it host to the largest patient cohort of ALS. Furthermore, Asia represents a diverse population in terms of ethnic, social and cultural backgrounds. In this review, an overview is presented that covers what is currently known of ALS in Asia from basic epidemiology and genetic influences, through to disease characteristics including atypical phenotypes which manifest a predilection for Asians. With the recent establishment of the Pan-Asian Consortium for Treatment and Research in ALS to facilitate collaborations between clinicians and researchers across the region, it is anticipated that Asia and the Pacific will contribute to unravelling the uncertainties in ALS.

Advances in understanding genomic markers and pharmacogenetics of Parkinson's disease

INTRODUCTION

The inheritance pattern of Parkinson's disease (PD) is likely multifactorial (owing to the interplay of genetic predisposition and environmental factors). Many pharmacogenetic studies have tried to establish a possible role of candidate genes in PD risk. Several studies have focused on the influence of genes in the response to antiparkinsonian drugs and in the risk of developing side-effects of these drugs.

AREAS COVERED

This review presents an overview of current knowledge, with particular emphasis on the most recent advances, both in case-control association studies on the role of candidate genes in the risk for PD as well as pharmacogenetic studies on the role of genes in the development of side effects of antiparkinsonian drugs. The most reliable results should be derived from meta-analyses of case-control association studies on candidate genes involving large series of PD patients and controls, and from genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

EXPERT OPINION

Prospective studies of large samples involving several genes with a detailed history of exposure to environmental factors in the same cohort of subjects, should be useful to clarify the role of genes in the risk for PD. The results of studies on the role of genes in the development of side-effects of antiparkinsonian drugs should, at this stage, only be considered preliminary.

Single-nucleotide Polymorphism rs2275294 in ZNF512B is not Associated with Susceptibility to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in a Large Chinese Cohort

Background:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects motor neurons and has no effective treatment. Recently, Iida et al. identified a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2275294 in the ZNF512B gene that is significantly associated with susceptibility to ALS in the Japanese population. Here, we performed a case–control study examining the possible association of rs2275294 with risk of sporadic ALS (SALS) in a large Chinese cohort.

Methods:

To assess this association, we performed a replication study in 953 SALS patients and 1039 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects, who were recruited from Peking University Third Hospital and the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from January 2004 to December 2013 throughout China. We genotyped the rs2275294 SNP using polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing.

Results:

The allele frequency of rs2275294 in ZNF512B was different between Japanese and Chinese. The association in Chinese between ALS patients and controls did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.54; odds ratio = 0.94; 95% confidence interval = 0.76–1.15).

Conclusions:

The SNP rs2275294 in ZNF512B is not considered to be associated with ALS susceptibility in the Chinese population. Our study highlights genetic heterogeneity in ALS susceptibility in different population. Given our negative results, further replication study involving larger and more homogeneous samples in different ethnicities should be performed in the future.