TARDBP mutations in Parkinson's disease

Mutations of the TARDBP gene encoding TDP-43 protein have been shown to cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and have been reported to present with clinical heterogeneity including parkinsonism. In addition, TDP-43 pathology has been observed across a spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Herein we report the presence of a TDP-43 mutation in a patient with a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. The TDP-43 p.N267S substitution has been previously implicated in both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. Our findings widen the phenotypic presentation for the TDP-43 p.N267S substitution and support a possible role for rare TDP-43 mutations presenting with Parkinson's disease. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.