Association of polymorphisms in the Tau and Saitohin genes with Parkinson's disease

Abstract
Background: The Saitohin gene has recently been identified in intron 9 of the Tau gene. Because an association between Parkinson’s disease and Tau has been described, Saitohin represents a candidate gene for Parkinson’s disease. Objective: To test these two genes for their association with Parkinson’s disease in a large community based case–control study. Results: Cases (n = 208) were more often homozygotes for the Tau H1 haplotype than controls (n = 483; odds ratio (OR) = 1.71 (95% confidence interval, 1.20 to 2.43); p = 0.003), and the saitohin Q allele was in complete linkage disequilibrium with the H1 haplotype. This association was stronger among cases with Parkinson’s disease onset below 65 years (⩽65 years: OR = 2.52 (1.49 to 4.25); p65 years: OR = 1.20 (0.73 to 1.98); pConclusions: The data suggest that there is a functional polymorphism at this locus involved in Parkinson’s disease.