Genetic Risk Factor for Parkinson’s Linked to Increased Alpha-Synuclein
http://www.pdf.org/en/science_news/r.../?CMP=EMC-NEWS
- Apr 20 2011

Researchers have shed light on a mystery about the relationship between a gene called GBA and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Carriers of mutations in this gene are at a higher risk for Parkinson’s for unknown reasons. Researchers found that mutations in the gene lead to an accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein in brain cells, the hallmark of the disease. The research was published in the April 6 online edition of Annals of Neurology...

...mutations in a gene known as glucocerebrosidase or GBA, are the most common genetic risk factor for Parkinson’s. People who carry mutations in one copy of the GBA gene may have up to a five times the normal risk of developing PD. In addition, mutations in GBA increase the risk of another neurodegenerative disease, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Mutations in both copies of a person’s GBA gene cause the rare disorder known as Gaucher’s disease. But the role of this gene in the development of Parkinson’s remained unknown.