BACKGROUND: Recent studies indicate an increased frequency of mutations in the gene encoding glucocerebrosidase (GBA), a deficiency of which causes Gaucher's disease, among patients with Parkinson's disease. We aimed to ascertain the frequency of GBA mutations in an ethnically diverse group of patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: Sixteen centers participated in our international, collaborative study: five from the Americas, six from Europe, two from Israel, and three from Asia. Each center genotyped a standard DNA panel to permit comparison of the genotyping results across centers. Genotypes and phenotypic data from a total of 5691 patients with Parkinson's disease (780 Ashkenazi Jews) and 4898 controls (387 Ashkenazi Jews) were analyzed, with multivariate logistic-regression models and the Mantel-Haenszel procedure used to estimate odds ratios across centers. RESULTS: All 16 centers could detect two GBA mutations, L444P and N370S. Among Ashkenazi Jewish subjects, either mutation was found in 15% of patients and 3% of controls, and among non-Ashkenazi Jewish subjects, either mutation was found in 3% of patients and less than 1% of controls. GBA was fully sequenced for 1883 non-Ashkenazi Jewish patients, and mutations were identified in 7%, showing that limited mutation screening can miss half the mutant alleles. The odds ratio for any GBA mutation in patients versus controls was 5.43 across centers. As compared with patients who did not carry a GBA mutation, those with a GBA mutation presented earlier with the disease, were more likely to have affected relatives, and were more likely to have atypical clinical manifestations. CONCLUSIONS: Data collected from 16 centers demonstrate that there is a strong association between GBA mutations and Parkinson's disease. Copyright 2009 Massachusetts Medical Society.

GBA and LRRK2 mutations increase susceptibility to Parkinson disease (PD), which is characterized by various disabling symptoms. An extended cohort of 600 Ashkenazi PD patients was screened for the LRRK2 G2019S and for eight GBA mutations. Reported initial symptoms were compared between three genotypic groups of patients: carriers of GBA mutations, carriers of LRRK2 G2019S mutation, and non-carriers. More LRRK2 G2019S carriers reported muscle stiffness (rigidity, p = 0.007) and balance disturbances (p = 0.008), while more GBA mutation carriers reported slowness (bradykinesia, p = 0.021). These results suggest distinct effects of LRRK2 or GBA mutations on the initial symptoms of PD.

The LRRK2 G2019S mutation is a major genetic determinant of Parkinson's disease (PD) across the world that occurs at an elevated frequency in Ashkenazi Jews. We determined the LRRK2 haplotypes in 77 G2019S carriers, mostly Ashkenazi Jews, and in 50 noncarrier Ashkenazi PD patients, using 16 genetic markers. A single haplotype was detected in all mutation carriers, indicating that these individuals share a common founder. Using a maximum-likelihood method, we estimate that Ashkenazi Jews with G2019S share a common ancestor who lived approximately 1,830 (95% CI 1,560-2,160) years ago, around the second century, after the second Jewish Diaspora.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in GBA and LRRK2 genes have been implicated in Parkinson disease (PD), particularly in Ashkenazi Jews. METHODS: An Israeli Ashkenazi cohort of 420 patients with PD, 333 elderly controls, and 3,805 young controls was screened for eight GBA mutations, which are associated with mild (N370S, R496H) and severe (84GG, IVS2 + 1, V394L, D409H, L444P, RecTL) Gaucher disease. Patients with PD and elderly controls were also genotyped for LRRK2 G2019S. RESULTS: GBA carrier frequency was 17.9% in patients with PD compared to 4.2% in elderly and 6.35% in young controls. The proportion of severe mutation carriers among patients with PD-GBA carriers was 29% compared to 7% among young controls. Severe and mild GBA mutations increased the risk of developing PD by 13.6- and 2.2-fold, and affected the average age at PD onset (AAO), 55.7 and 57.9 years, compared to 60.7 years in patients without known GBA or LRRK2 mutations. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate genotype-phenotype correlations between different GBA mutations and Parkinson disease (PD) risk and AAO in Ashkenazi Jews. Additionally, an earlier AAO was observed in LRRK2 G2019S carrier patients with PD. Finally, these data demonstrate that a surprisingly high frequency, more than one third of our patient population, carried a mutation in GBA or LRRK2.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene are the most common genetic determinant of Parkinson disease (PD) identified to date, and have been implicated in both familial and sporadic forms of the disease. The G2019S change in LRRK2 exon 41 has been associated with disease at varying frequencies in Asian, European, North American, and North African populations, and is particularly prevalent among Ashkenazi Jews. METHODS: We assessed the occurrence of the LRRK2 G2019S, I2012T, I2020T, and R1441G/C/H mutations in our cohort of Jewish Israeli patients with PD, and determined the LRRK2 haplotypes in 76 G2019S-carriers detected and in 50 noncarrier Ashkenazi patients, using six microsatellite markers that span the entire gene. RESULTS: Only the G2019S mutation was identified among our patients with PD, 14.8% in the Ashkenazi and 2.7% in the non-Ashkenazi patients, and in 26% and 10.6% of the Ashkenazi familial and apparently sporadic cases. The carrier frequencies in the Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi control samples were 2.4% and 0.4%. A common shared haplotype was detected in all non-Ashkenazi and half-Ashkenazi carriers and in all full-Ashkenazi carriers tested, except two. Women and patients with a positive family history of PD were significantly over-represented among the G2019S mutation carriers. Age at disease onset was similar in carriers and noncarriers. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the LRRK2 G2019S mutation plays an important role in the causality of familial and sporadic Parkinson disease (PD) in Israel and that gender affects its frequency among patients. Although testing symptomatic patients may help establish the diagnosis of PD, the value of screening asymptomatic individuals remains questionable until the penetrance and age-dependent risk of this mutation are more accurately assessed, and specific disease prevention or modifying interventions become available. GLOSSARY: LRRK2 = leucine-rich repeat kinase 2; PD = Parkinson disease.

Overexpression of the centrosome-associated serine/threonine kinase Aurora Kinase A (AURKA) has been demonstrated in both advanced prostate cancer and high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia lesions. The single-nucleotide polymorphism T91A (Phe31Ile) has been implicated in AURKA overexpression and has been suggested as a low-penetrance susceptibility allele in multiple human cancers, including prostate cancer. We studied the transcriptional consequences of the AURKA Ile31 allele in 28 commercial normal prostate tissue RNA samples (median age, 27 years). Significant overexpression of AURKA was demonstrated in homozygous and heterozygous AURKA Ile31 prostate RNA (2.07-fold and 1.93-fold, respectively; P <.05). Expression levels of 1509 genes differentiated between samples homozygous for Phe31 alleles and samples homozygous for Ile31 alleles (P =.05). Gene Ontology classification revealed overrepresentation of cell cycle arrest, ubiquitin cycle, antiapoptosis, and angiogenesis-related genes. When these hypothesis-generating results were subjected to more stringent statistical criteria, overexpression of a novel transcript of the natural killer tumor recognition sequence (NKTR) gene was revealed and validated in homozygous Ile31 samples (2.6-fold; P <.05). In summary, our data suggest an association between the AURKA Ile31 allele and an altered transcriptome in normal non-neoplastic prostates.

BACKGROUND The pathologic features of Down syndrome are assumed to be the result of over-expression of genes located on chromosome 21 and/or a more global transcriptional misregulation that crosses chromosomal borders. METHODS To address this issue, four RNA samples from trisomy 21 placentas and four samples from normal first trimester pregnancies were analyzed using Affymetrix U95v2 microarray. Statistical and bioinformatic analyses were employed to compare global gene expression, functional classes, and pathways to differentiate between placentas taken from trisomy 21 and from normal pregnancies. RESULTS About 750 genes were significantly over-expressed in trisomy 21. This list contains an approximately 4.5-fold over-abundance of genes that map to chromosome 21, compared to that which could be expected for this chromosome, on the microarray. Among the classes of genes that best discriminated the trisomy 21 and normal karyotype, we found genes that are also implicated in Alzheimer disease and genes that are associated with ubiquitination and proteosomal degradation. Finally, using the top 10 most discriminating genes, eight samples taken from a different database were correctly classified as either trisomy 21 or normal. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that gene expression in trisomy 21 affected placentas significantly differs from that of chromosomally normal placentas, and this difference is only partially explained by over-expression of genes from chromosome 21. Our findings suggest that specific highly discriminatory genes may be potential targets for further research and development of novel prenatal diagnosis techniques.

BACKGROUND: The heterodimeric transcription factor HIF-1 (hypoxia-inducible factor 1), consisting of a critically regulated HIF-1alpha subunit and a constitutively expressed HIF-1beta subunit, is a master regulator of genes involved in adaptation and survival under low-oxygen conditions. Increased levels of HIF-1 activity are associated with increased tumor aggressiveness, therapeutic resistance, and mortality. METHODS: We studied 402 prostate cancer patients for the presence of the 1772C > T (P582S) and 1790G > A (A588T) mutations within the oxygen-dependent domain of HIF-1alpha. RESULTS: Homozygosity for the P582S mutation was fourfold greater among prostate cancer patients compared to controls (OR = 4.10 [C.I. 95% 1.11 < OR < 17.87], P = 0.018). The existence of this mutation in prostate cancer patients was not associated with any of the clinical or pathological characteristics of the disease. No significant differences were found between the frequencies of A588T mutation in prostate cancer patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that homozygous HIF1A P582S mutation confers significant susceptibility to prostate cancer.(c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Abnormalities in DNA copy number are frequently found in patients with multiple anomaly syndromes and mental retardation. Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) is a high-resolution, whole-genome technology that improves detection of submicroscopic aberrations underlying these syndromes. Eight patients with mental disability, multiple congenital anomalies, and dysmorphic features were screened for submicroscopic chromosomal imbalances using the GenoSensor Array 300 Chip. Subtelomeric aberrations previously detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis were confirmed in two patients, and accurate diagnosis was provided in two previously undiagnosed complex cases. Microdeletions at 15q11.2-q13 in a newborn with hypotonia, cryptorchidism, and hypopigmentation were detected with few discrepancies between the array results and FISH analysis. Contiguous microdeletion of GSCL, HIRA and TBX1 genes at 22q11.2 was identified in a previously undiagnosed boy with an unusual presentation of the VCF/DiGeorge spectrum. In a newborn with aniridia, a borderline false-negative WT1 deletion was observed, most probably because of differences between the size of the genomic deletion and the microarray probe. A false-positive rate of 0.2% was calculated for clone-by-clone analysis, whereas the per patient false-positive rate was 20%. Array-CGH is a powerful tool for the rapid and accurate detection of genetic disorders associated with copy number abnormalities and can significantly improve clinical genetic diagnosis and care.

Objective: Quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR) is a rapid method for detection of chromosome copy number by amplification of repeat sequences at polymorphic loci. Our objective was to assess the performance of QF-PCR in detecting common aneuploidies in prenatal diagnosis. Study Design: The study group consisted of pregnant women referred for amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) due to increased risk of fetal aneuploidy. Samples were collected from known affected and normal pregnancies. These were blindly screened for trisomy of chromosomes 21, 18, 13, and sex chromosome abnormalities, using QF-PCR. DNA from uncultured amniocytes was directly extracted using a modified alkaline lysis method. DNA from CVS was extracted by the phenol-chloroform procedure. Ten short tandem repeat (STR) markers were used for detection of fetal aneuploidy and gender. The STRs were selected for high heterozygosity rates and efficiency of the PCR amplification. The forward primer of each pair was labeled with a unique fluorescent dye. Amplified products were detected by an ABI Prism((R)) 310 Genetic Analyzer and results were analyzed using GeneScan((R)) Analysis Software. Results: A total of 65 amniotic fluid and CVS samples were collected from affected and normal pregnancies. Two samples were contaminated with blood and were therefore excluded from the analysis. All 29 cases of aneuploidy were correctly diagnosed by QF-PCR, including 17 cases of trisomy 21, 7 cases of trisomy 18, and 5 cases with trisomy 13. The 34 normal samples were also correctly diagnosed as such. Thus, all results were in agreement with the standard cytogenetic results. There were no false-positive or false-negative results. Conclusion: We conclude that QF-PCR is a rapid, reliable, and reproducible method that may be used to provide rapid results in prenatal diagnosis of aneuploidy. Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.