Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 genetic variations may increase susceptibility to Parkinson's disease in Han Chinese population

Genetic variations of ALDH2, encoding aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 which regulates aldehyde oxidation in the brain, have been recently suggested to impact on the association of pesticide exposure with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the link between ALDH2 polymorphism and PD remains elusive. In the present study, tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms of ALDH2, including rs4767944, rs441, and rs671, were extracted and analyzed in a Chinese cohort consisting of 584 PD patients and 582 controls. Results from genotyping analyses showed that rs4767944 (p = 0.002), but not rs441 and rs671, were associated with PD. The C allele of rs4767944 served a risk factor toward PD. Further analysis presented a significant association between haplotype frequencies and the risk for PD, primarily driven by the preponderance of the C-T-A (p = 0.03) or C-T-G (p = 0.003) haplotype of rs4767944, rs441, and rs671 in PD patients. In conclusion, these novel results suggest an association between PD susceptibility and ALDH2 genetic variations.