FGF20 rs12720208 SNP and microRNA-433 variation: No association with Parkinson's disease in Spanish patients

DNA variation at the FGF20 gene has been associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). In particular, SNP rs12720208 in the 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) was linked to PD-risk through a mechanism that would implicate a differential binding to microRNA-433 (miR-433). The reduction of the affinity of miR-433 to the 3′ UTR would result in increased FGF20 expression and upregulation of alpha-synuclein, which could in turn promote dopaminergic neurons degeneration. We genotyped the rs12720208 SNP in a total of 512 PD patients and 258 healthy controls from Spain, and searched for miR-433 variants in the patients. We did not find significant differences in allele and genotype frequencies between patients and controls. None of the patients had miR-433 variants. In conclusion, our work did not confirm the association between rs12720208 and PD, or an effect of miR-433 variants on this disease.