G309D and W437OPA PINK1 mutations in Caucasian Parkinson's disease patients

Objective - To determine whether the G309D and W437OPA mutations in PINK1 gene are present in American Caucasian population of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods - We searched for the G309D and W437OPA mutation by sequencing the regions of interest in the PINK1 gene in 237 unrelated Caucasian patients. Results - None of the 237 samples showed the G309D or W437OPA mutations. Conclusions - The G309D and W437OPA mutations in PINK1 gene probably do not represent common causes of familial or sporadic PD in a Caucasian population.