Association of TOMM40, CHAT and SORL1 Polymorphisms with the Alzheimer’s Disease in the Turkish-speaking Azeri population in Northwest of Iran

Recent genome-wide association studies have introduced several genetic variants which contribute to the late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). Polymorphisms of CHAT, TOMM40, and SORL1 genes have been reported to be associated with the LOAD phenotype. This study was endeavored to evaluate the association of the CHAT rs3810950, TOMM40 rs1160985 and SORL1 rs11218304 polymorphisms with the LOAD in the Turkish-speaking Azeri population of northwest Iran. In a case-control study, we included 174 cases: 88 cases with LOAD diagnosis and 86 healthy individuals. Peripheral blood samples were collected and the genomic DNA of all participants were extracted. Genotyping was carried out by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. We did not observe any significant association between the CHAT rs3810950 and SORL1 rs11218304 alleles with the LOAD. However, both the TOMM40 rs1160985 minor allele T and TT genotype showed significant negative associations with the LOAD. Hence, the TOMM40 rs1160985 polymorphism could be considered as a protective genetic factor against the LOAD in the Turkish-speaking Azeri population of northwest Iran.