The aim of this investigation was to determine if particular immunoglobulin GM (γ marker) alleles and genotypes were associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) and whether they contributed to the interindividual differences in the level of antibodies to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), which has been implicated in PD pathology. Using a case-control study design, 94 PD patients and 157 controls were characterized for anti-HSV1 IgG antibodies and genotyped for GM alleles expressed on IgG1 (3,17) and IgG2 (23 +, 23-). The homozygosity for the GM 3 and GM 23 alleles was significantly associated with susceptibility to PD (p = 0.004, 0.018, respectively). Also, GM 23 genotypes were significantly associated with anti-HSV1 IgG antibody levels in patients (p = 0.0021), but not in controls. These results suggest that GM genes may act as effect modifiers of the reported HSV1-PD association.
Keywords: GM allotypes; HSV1; Humoral immunity; Parkinson's disease.
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