For this study of a sample population consisting of 101 PD patients and 108 controls, we tested the hypothesis that an ACC --> ACT transversion (2664(th) nucleotide of the coding sequence) affecting codon 888 (tyrosine) of GRIN2B confers susceptibility to PD, or relates to the age of onset.
An increased frequency of the A-allele of the alpha-antichymotrypsin (ACT) gene has been recently described in Japanese patients suffering from Parkinson disease (PD).
The ACT-AA overrepresentation in PD and control subjects < or =50 years old suggests that this polymorphism could be associated with life-threatening conditions other than PD.
These data suggest that the etiological basis of PD might be partly similar to that of AD and the ACT gene might be one of the susceptibility factors for PD.