SNCA polymorphisms, smoking, and sporadic Parkinson's disease in Japanese

Several case-control studies and genome-wide association studies have examined the relationships between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the SNCA gene and Parkinson's disease (PD), and have provided inconsistent results. We investigated the relationships between SNPs rs356229, rs356219, rs356220, rs7684318, and rs2736990 and the risk of sporadic PD in Japan using data from a multicenter hospital-based case-control study. Included were 229 cases within 6 years of onset of PD as defined according to the UK PD Society Brain Bank clinical diagnostic criteria. Controls were 357 inpatients and outpatients without neurodegenerative disease. Adjustment was made for sex, age, region of residence, and smoking. Based on the recessive model, compared with subjects with the CC or CT genotype of SNP rs356220, those with the TT genotype had a significantly increased risk of sporadic PD: the adjusted OR was 1.42 (95% CI: 1.002-2.02). In the additive model, SNP rs2736990 was significantly related to the risk of sporadic PD: the adjusted OR was 1.30 (95% CI: 1.002-1.68). There were no significant relationships between SNP rs356229, rs356219, or rs7684318 and the risk of sporadic PD in any genetic model. The additive interactions between SNPs rs356219 and rs356220 and smoking with respect to sporadic PD were significant although the multiplicative interactions were not significant. This study suggests that SNCA SNPs rs356220 and rs2736990 are significantly associated with the risk of sporadic PD in Japanese. We also present new evidence for biological interactions between SNPs rs356219 and rs356220 and smoking that affect sporadic PD.