Lack of Association between PRNP M129V Polymorphism and Multiple Sclerosis, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alcoholism and Schizophrenia in a Korean Population

The genetic variant at codon 129 (M129V) of the prion protein gene (PRNP) is considered to be a major genetic risk factor for prion diseases. In this study, we examined the possible genetic association of PRNP*129Val with multiple sclerosis (MS, n = 681), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 801), alcoholism (n = 761) and schizophrenia (n = 715) in a Korean population, and compared the data with previous genetic association studies of the variant. The minor allele frequency of PRNP*129Val (MAF = 0.025) was significantly lower in Korean population (n = 2,479) compared to Caucasian populations (P < 0.0001), suggestive of a weak influence of the variant in the previous population. Statistical analysis revealed no significant association between PRNP*129Val and MS (P = 0.76), MCI (P = 0.46), alcoholism (P = 0.84) and schizophrenia (P = 0.69). These findings were discussed in the context of prior inconsistent reports on the role of PRNP*129Val polymorphism in several diseases. Results from this study may provide further evidence that PRNP M129V is not a genetic susceptibility factor for MS, MCI, alcoholism and schizophrenia in a Korean population.