Korean scientists have succeeded in discovering, for the first time, a unique gene in Koreans that causes Parkinson’s disease, through a joint effort of the country’s scientific and medical communities. Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder that occurs in more than 1.2% of the population over the age of 60 in Korea. With the discovery of this unique Korean gene, it is expected that personalized treatments for Parkinson’s patients may be possible in the future.
According to the scientific community on April 6th, Dr. Chae Se Hyun of the Korea Brain Research Institute, and Professor Jung Sun Ju and Professor Sung Chang Oh of Seoul Asan Hospital, recently published a joint research paper in the international academic journal ‘Experimental & Molecular Medicine’ on this discovery.
Parkinson’s disease is a disorder in which the dopamine system in the midbrain, located in the center of the brain, is destroyed, causing movement disorders such as shaking hands and slow movements. Only 5% of all Parkinson’s patients are caused by genetic factors, and over 95% of Korean patients suffer from sporadic Parkinson’s disease, which is not genetic. Until now, no gene causing sporadic Parkinson’s disease had been discovered.
The research team began studying genes that cause Parkinson’s disease. The Brain Research Institute designed and conducted genome data analysis, while Seoul Asan Hospital was in charge of precise analysis of genome data and the construction and analysis of a large patient cohort.
The research team then conducted a ‘whole-genome analysis’ on 410 Korean patients with sporadic Parkinson’s disease and 200 ordinary people of the same age. The whole genome is the entire DNA or DNA sequence in a cell. Whole-genome analysis is a research technique that comprehensively detects genetic variations that occur throughout the DNA.
As a result, it was found for the first time that Korean patients have a unique gene called ‘GPR27’ that causes Parkinson’s disease. The GPR27 gene is known to regulate nerve degeneration and energy metabolism in the brain. The research team analyzed that the genetic variation of GPR27 makes it difficult to produce and function normally, causing Parkinson’s disease.
Furthermore, the research team found that GPR27 is a gene with a high expression level in the brain, and this genetic variation is also highly associated with the expression of alpha-synuclein, which is a Parkinson’s disease-causing factor. They also confirmed that it is related to the decrease in dopamine signaling.
Professor Jung Sun Ju of the Department of Neurology at Seoul Asan Hospital said, “This study is significant in that it discovered a new risk factor associated with Parkinson’s disease in the DNA of Koreans.” He also added, “This discovery could be used as a genetic indicator for predicting the onset of Parkinson’s disease and for personalized treatment of patients in the future.”