Fibroblast growth factor 20 polymorphism in sporadic Parkinson's disease in Northern Han Chinese.

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 20 is a neurotrophic factor that exerts strong neurotrophic properties in the brain and could significantly enhance the survival of rat midbrain dopaminergic neurons. The genetic association of the FGF20 gene with Parkinson's disease (PD) remains controversial. We used the polymerase chain reaction-restriction length polymorphism assay to assess the association of two single nucleotide polymorphisms, rs12720208 and rs1721100, within the FGF20 gene in 178 PD patients and 190 healthy controls from a Northern Han Chinese population. The results showed no significant differences in the presence of rs1721100 or rs12720208 in the FGF20 gene between PD patients and controls. This indicates the FGF20 gene might not play a major role in the genetic predisposition to PD in this population.