α-Synuclein Gene Hypomethylation in LRRK2 Parkinson's Disease Patients

Background: α-Synuclein (SNCA) gene hypomethylation was reported in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (iPD). Based on a high clinical resemblance between iPD and leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2)-driven Parkinson's disease (L2PD), we investigated the epigenetic status of SNCA in an extensive LRRK2 clinical cohort from Spain.

Methods: We assessed the methylation levels of 23 CpG sites in the SNCA promoter region using peripheral blood DNA from L2PD patients (n = 151), LRRK2 nonmanifesting carriers (n = 55), iPD patients (n = 115), and healthy control subjects (n = 154) (total: N = 475).

Results: Compared with control subjects, we found significant SNCA hypomethylation in 11 of 23 CpGs in L2PD (48%), whereas 22 CpGs (96%) were hypomethylated in iPD. In line with a healthy status, asymptomatic mutation carriers had similar SNCA methylation profiles to control subjects.

Conclusions: This study shows for the first time that SNCA hypomethylation occurs in patients with L2PD. Further studies addressing SNCA methylation status in additional worldwide LRRK2 cohorts are warranted. © 2024 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.