Comparison of α-synuclein gene methylation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of Uighur and Han patients with sporadic Parkinson's disease

This study aims to investigate the correlations between the methylation level of the Parkinson's Disease (PD)-susceptibility alpha-synuclein gene (SNCA) intron region 1 and the PD incidences in Uighur and Han ethnic groups. The Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) of 40 patients (19 Uighur and 21 Han) with Early-Onset Parkinson's Disease (EOPD) and 40 normal people (19 Uighur and 21 Han, <= 50 y old) were isolated by density gradient centrifugation, and the methylation level of SNCA gene intron region 1 was then detected using the bisulfite Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) sequencing method. The comparisons between the EOPD group and the <= 50 y old control group, between the Han-EOPD group and the Han-control group, between the Uygur-EOPD group and the Uygur-control group, between the male EOPD group and the male control group, between the female PD group and the female control group, and between the male EOPD group and the female EOPD group all showed no significant difference in the average methylation level of the SNCA gene intron region 1 (P>0.05). The methylation level of the SNCA gene intron region 1 might not be associated with the EOPD incidence in Uighur and Han patients.