Association between NEK1 gene polymorphisms and the potential risk of sporadic Parkinson’s disease in the Chinese Northern Han population: A case-control study

•NEK1 gene polymorphisms may be associated with sporadic Parkinson’s disease in the Chinese Northern Han population.•NEK1 rs66509122 T allele may be a protective factor for Parkinson’s disease.•The rs4563461 C allele was significantly associated with sleep disorders in Parkinson’s disease.•The rs66509122 C allele was associated with diabetes in female patients and depression in the early-onset of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been identified as a genetically influenced disease linked to various genetic loci. Previous studies have suggested that neurodegenerative illnesses, including PD, Alzheimer’s disease, and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), may share certain genetic loci. Recently, the NEK1 gene was identified as overlapping between PD and ALS. We therefore wanted to explore the potential association between the NEK1 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the clinical features and pathophysiology of sporadic PD in a northern Chinese population. A total of 510 sporadic PD patients and 510 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. Two SNPs (rs4563461 and rs66509122) of the NEK1 gene were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). And we analyzed the association between NEK1 gene polymorphisms and clinical manifestations. Allele T (C vs. T, P = 0.018) and genotype TT (CC vs. TT: P = 0.021) of rs66509122 among PD group and HCs were significantly different. In addition, we discovered that the rs66509122 genotype TT was associated with depression in early-onset PD (EOPD) (P = 0.031) and diabetes in female PD (P = 0.032). Unfortunately, no distinct correlation of rs4563461 polymorphisms with sporadic PD susceptibility was found in either the overall group (C vs. T, P = 0.086) or other subgroups. However, the T allele of rs4563461 was significantly correlated with sleep disorders in the PD group, especially in the late-onset PD (LOPD) group and male PD group. This study found that the NEK1 rs66509122 polymorphism was associated with a lower risk of sporadic PD, while T allele of rs66509122 may be a protective factor for PD. The NEK1 rs4563461 and rs66509122 polymorphisms both showed correlations with some non-motor symptoms in sporadic PD patients. Further research with a larger sample and varied ethnic groups is needed to investigate the role of NEK1 gene polymorphisms in the pathophysiology of PD.