23andMe, Inc., a leading personal genetics company, has announced the first-time discovery of the potentially protective nature of the gene serum/glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) which appears to be protective against a high-risk leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) mutation for Parkinson’s disease (PD).
The LRRK2 gene is recognized as a significant risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. Of the approximately 1 in 10,000 people who carry a mutation called G2019S on the LRRK2 gene, about half develop Parkinson’s disease. 23andMe has a large cohort of individuals who carry the G2019S mutation but surprisingly, do not have Parkinson’s. In examining this cohort, 23andMe discovered the potentially protective nature of SGK1. Click here to read the rest of the article.

