Effect of MDR1 haplotype on risk of Parkinson disease.

BACKGROUND: MDR1, a multidrug transporter, encodes a P-glycoprotein that regulates the bioavailability of xenobiotics and is highly expressed at the blood-brain-barrier. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (e21/2677[G/T/A] and e26/3435[C/T]) in the MDR1 gene can lead to differences in MDR1 expression and function. Specific MDR1 alleles of the 2 SNPs are positively selected among ethnic Chinese but not in the white population. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether specific haplotypes formed by SNPs e21/2677 and e26/3435 may protect against Parkinson disease (PD) among ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Tertiary referral centers in Hong Kong. SUBJECTS: One hundred eighty-five patients with PD and 206 control subjects. INTERVENTIONS: The two SNPs were amplified in a single multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Five other SNPs that span 100 kilobases of the gene were also analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Haplotypes frequencies, degree of haplotype association with the disease status, and estimated odds ratio for each haplotype with associated 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: In addition to 2677 G-->T/A (exon 21) and 3435 C-->T (exon 26), the other SNPs that were analyzed were -41 A-->G (intron -1), -145 C-->G (exon 1), -129 T-->C (exon 1), 1236 T-->C (exon 12), and 4036 A-->G (exon 28). Haplotypes containing SNPs e21/2677 and e26/3435 were found to be significantly associated with risk of PD. In particular, the 2677T-3435T haplotype was strongly associated with a reduced risk of PD (P<.001; chi(2) = 14.521; odds ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.19-0.59). CONCLUSIONS: An MDR1 haplotype containing SNPs e21/2677T and e26/3435T protects against PD in ethnic Chinese, compatible with the observation of a recent positive selection of the T alleles of these 2 SNPs in this ethnic population.

Analysis of MDR1 haplotypes in Parkinson's disease in a white population.

The MDR1 multidrug transporter is important in regulating environmental xenobiotics and hence may play a causative role in Parkinson's disease (PD). MDR1 haplotype comprising 2677 G > T/A and 3435 C > T may be protective against PD. Using a case control methodology, we investigated the association of MDR1 haplotypes (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) 2677 G > T/A and 3435 C > T) in a Polish PD population. Seven SNPs, extending from the promoter to exon 28 of the MDR1 gene in 158 PD patients and 139 healthy controls were evaluated. Specifically we examined the association of haplotypes containing SNPs 2677 G > T/A and 3435 C > T and risk of PD. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate the effects of the covariates on the phenotypes. Haplotypes' frequencies were estimated using the Expectation-Maximization algorithm. The frequency of each individual SNPs; -41 A > G (intron -1), -145 C > G (exon 1), -129 T > C (exon 1), 1236 T > C (exon 12), 2677 G > T/A (exon 21), 3435 C > T (exon 26), and 4036 A > G (exon 28) did not differ between PD and controls. However, there was a trend towards significance in PD patients having the haplotype 2677G-3435C (p < 0.09, chi-square 2.85, odds ratio 0.25, 95% CI 0.06-1.08). Haplotype constructs of the other loci did not differ significantly between the two groups. There was a weak protective effect of the haplotype 2677G-3435C in our white population. However, the MDR1 haplotypes did not generally modulate the risk of PD.

Genomic evidence for recent positive selection at the human MDR1 gene locus.

The MDR1 multidrug transporter regulates the traffic of drugs, peptides and xenobiotics into the body as well as sensitive tissues like the brain, germ cells and the developing fetus. Hence, it may influence an individual's response to drugs as well as his/her susceptibility to complex diseases in which environmental factors, especially xenobiotics, play a role. Polymorphisms within this gene, especially single-nucleotide polymorphism e26/3435(C/T), have been variously associated with differences in MDR1 expression, function, drug response and disease susceptibility. Here, we report the detailed characterization of the haplotype and linkage disequilibrium architecture of the entire 200 kb of the MDR1 gene in five world populations, namely, Chinese, Malays, Indians, Caucasians and African-Americans. We observed varied haplotype diversity across the entire gene in the different populations. The major haplotype mh5, which contains the subhaplotype e12/1236T-e21/2677T-e26/3435T, is highly represented among the four non-African populations, while mh7, which contains the subhaplotype e12/1236C-e21/2677G-e26/3435C, accounts for over a third of African-American chromosomes. These observations are inconsistent with a simple population evolution model, but instead are suggestive of recent historical events that have maintained such long range linkage disequilibrium. Using a modified long-range haplotype test, we found statistically significant evidence of recent positive selection for the e21/2677T and e26/3435T alleles in the Chinese population, and for the e26/3435T allele in the Malay population. Interestingly, we also detected evidence for positive selection of the alternative allele e26/3435C in the African-American population. These data suggest that independent mutational events may have occurred on the mh5 and mh7 haplotypes of the MDR1 gene to confer positive selection in the non-African and African-American populations, respectively.