Genetic association between Alzheimer disease and the alpha-synuclein gene.

alpha-Synuclein has been isolated as a component of amyloid in addition to the major A beta peptide in Alzheimer disease (AD). However, there are conflicting reports regarding the association of alpha-synuclein gene polymorphism with AD. Using a novel and common polymorphism in intron 3, we examined the relationship between AD and alpha-synuclein and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genes in 183 Japanese AD patients and 210 controls. Carriers of the alpha-synuclein deletion (D) allele had a 2.2-fold increased risk of developing AD than noncarriers in women. The odds ratio for the ApoE epsilon 4 and the alpha-synuclein D allele was 11.4 in women. The results showed that the alpha-synuclein gene is associated with sporadic AD in women, independent of ApoE epsilon 4 status. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel