MAPT IVS1+124 C>G modifies risk of LRRK2 G2385R for Parkinson's disease in Chinese individuals

Variants of the MAPT gene have been suggested to be associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) and to modify the risk for leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) Parkinsonism. However, this has not been confirmed in Asians with ethnicity-specific variants of MAPT and LRRK2. In this study, Asian-specific LRRK2 p.G2385R variant and IVS1+124 C>G, a functional single-nucleotide polymorphism located in the MAPT promoter region, were genotyped in 561 Chinese PD patients and 556 control subjects. Allelic and genotypic frequencies of the 2 variants were compared between cases and control subjects independently and in combination. As a result, the LRRK2 p.G2385R variant alone was associated with an increased risk for PD (Odds ratio, 1.86; 95% confidence intervals, 1.08-3.19; p = 0.014), whereas MAPT IVS1+124 C>G was not (p = 0.34). However, the coexistence of MAPT IVS1+124C>G significantly enhanced the LRRK2 G2385R-conferred risk for PD (Odds ratio, 2.30; 95% confidence intervals, 1.14-4.54; p = 0.012). These results provide further evidence supporting the interaction between MAPT and LRRK2 genes, which increases the susceptibility to PD in Chinese individuals.