Figure 3 | npj Parkinson's Disease

Figure 3

From: Common genetic variant association with altered HLA expression, synergy with pyrethroid exposure, and risk for Parkinson’s disease: an observational and case–control study

Figure 3

Model depicting the association of the rs3129882 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with altered major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) expression on antigen-presenting cells and the potential for skewing the adaptive immune response and the predicted effects on vulnerable neuronal populations affected in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Our data suggest that the rs3129882 SNP is linked to a genetic or epigenetic element that increases messenger RNA expression of MHC-II and ultimately surface expression of MHC-II. Increased surface expression of MHC-II can influence CD4+ T-cell activation and differentiation leading to a heightened proinflammatory state that hastens neuronal dysfunction and death and predisposed individuals to PD. Two individuals exposed to the same environmental stimulus, one with the low-risk SNP (a) and the other with the high-risk SNP (b), are likely to respond differently immunologically because of underlying genetic and epigenetic mechanism(s) that influence MHC-II expression.

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