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Large-scale genetic characterization of Parkinson's disease in the African and African admixed populations

Akçimen, Fulya; Paquette, Kimberly; Wild Crea, Peter; Step, Kathryn; Waldo, Emily; Koretsky, Mathew J; Saffie-Awad, Paula; ... Bandres-Ciga, Sara; + view all (2025) Large-scale genetic characterization of Parkinson's disease in the African and African admixed populations. Brain , Article awaf379. 10.1093/brain/awaf379. (In press). Green open access

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Abstract

Elucidating the genetic contributions to Parkinson's disease (PD) etiology across diverse ancestries is a critical priority for the development of targeted therapies in a global context. We conducted the largest sequencing characterization of potentially disease-causing, protein-altering and splicing mutations in 710 cases and 11,827 controls from genetically predicted African or African admixed ancestries. We explored copy number variants (CNVs) and runs of homozygosity (ROHs) in prioritized early onset and familial cases. Our study identified rare GBA1 coding variants to be the most frequent mutations among PD patients, with a frequency of 4% in our case cohort. Out of the 18 GBA1 variants identified, ten were previously classified as pathogenic or likely pathogenic, four were novel, and four were reported as of uncertain clinical significance. The most common known disease-associated GBA1 variants in the Ashkenazi Jewish and European populations, p.Asn409Ser, p.Leu483Pro, p.Thr408Met, and p.Glu365Lys, were not identified among the screened PD cases of African and African admixed ancestry. Similarly, the European and Asian LRRK2 disease-causing mutational spectrum, including LRRK2 p.Gly2019Ser and p.Gly2385Arg genetic risk factors, did not appear to play a major role in PD etiology among West African-ancestry populations. However, we found three heterozygous novel missense LRRK2 variants of uncertain significance overrepresented in cases, two of which-p.Glu268Ala and p.Arg1538Cys-had a higher prevalence in the African ancestry population reference datasets. Structural variant analyses revealed the presence of PRKN CNVs with a frequency of 0.7% in African and African admixed cases, with 66% of CNVs detected being compound heterozygous or homozygous in early-onset cases, providing further insights into the genetic underpinnings in early-onset juvenile PD in these populations. Short tandem repeat analysis also identified ATXN3 repeat expansions within the pathogenic range (CAGn > 45) in three PD patients of African ancestry. Novel genetic variation overrepresented in cases versus controls among screened genes warrants further replication and functional prioritization to unravel their pathogenic potential. Here, we created the most comprehensive genetic catalog of both known and novel coding and splicing variants potentially linked to PD etiology in an underserved population and further conducted global and local ancestry analyses to further explore population-specific effects. Our study has the potential to guide the development of targeted therapies in the emerging era of precision medicine. By expanding genetics research to involve underrepresented populations, we hope that future PD treatments are not only effective but also inclusive, addressing the needs of diverse ancestral groups.

Type: Article
Title: Large-scale genetic characterization of Parkinson's disease in the African and African admixed populations
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaf379
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaf379
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.
Keywords: African ancestry, Black and African American population, Parkinson’s disease, disease-causing mutations, genetics
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Department of Neuromuscular Diseases
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Clinical and Movement Neurosciences
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10215404
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