Methylation of alpha-synuclein in a Sudanese cohort

Background: Several studies suggested a significant role of epigenetic changes, including alterations in miRNA, histone modifications, and DNA methylation of alpha-synuclein (SNCA) in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenicity. As of yet, only very few studies have been carried out in this field in Africa and none in Sudan. Materials and methods: We collected DNA from 172 Sudanese individuals (90 cases, 82 controls) who donated saliva for DNA extraction (mean age of onset: 40.6 +/- 22.4 years). A family history of PD was evident in 64 patients. DNA preparation and bisulfite sequencing of SNCA(intron1) was performed as described earlier. Results: Of the fourteen analyzed CpGs of SNCA(intron1), CpGs 16-23 were hypomethylated in PD (P-value ranged from 0.023 to 0.003). P-values improved, when sporadic cases were excluded from the analysis. Conclusion: We identified the presence of a specific pattern of DNA methylation in a young Sudanese cohort of familial PD, which confirms the importance of the methylation of SNCA(intron1) for PD. This phenomenon appears to be independent of ethnicity, the impact of environmental factors, drug history, or familial clustering.

Automated summary

After studying several Parkinson's disease patients in Sudan, the team discovered a specific pattern of DNA methylation that plays a crucial role in the occurrence of familial Parkinson's disease.