HSPG2 gene C/A polymorphism does not confer susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease in Chinese.

Human HSPG2 participates in the formation of amyloid and tau aggregation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). HSPG2 gene is located on a susceptibility region to late-onset AD (LOAD), and considered as a candidate gene for LOAD because of its function and location. We performed an association study between the HSPG2 BamH I polymorphism C/A of intron 6 and LOAD on 104 patients and 127 healthy controls of Chinese origin. The C allele was more prominent in LOAD patients than in controls, though the difference was not statistically significant. Likewise with the stratification of APOE epsilon4 status, no statistical difference was observed between cases and controls. Our findings suggest that this polymorphism may not represent an additional genetic risk factor for LOAD.