Gene-expression profiling in Parkinson’s disease: discovery of valid biomarkers, molecular targets and biochemical pathways

Abstract

In the past decade, several gene mutations have been described in families with a Mendelian inheritance pattern of Parkinson’s disease (PD), using linkage mapping. These cases represent only a small percentage (<5%) of the patients who develop PD. The current understanding of the mechanisms that underlie aspects of the neurodegenerative process of PD is based mainly on research of functional pathways related to these genes. However, even with knowledge of these pathways, the number of relevant genes may still be very large. In the post-genomic era, seven high-throughput gene array studies have attempted to identify candidate genes and biochemical pathways in PD. In this review, results from these studies and different factors influencing optimal target and biomarker discovery with gene-expression profiling are discussed.