Uncovering the Associations of LILRB4 Genotypes With Parkinson's Disease: From Clinical Traits to Potential Pathologies

ABSTRACT Background Leukocyte immunoglobulin‐like receptor B4 (LILRB4) has been shown to be associated with susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases. This study was aimed at investigating the relationships between LILRB4 and the risk of developing PD, as well as its clinical characteristics and pathology. Method We analyzed 197 healthy controls and 606 PD patients from the Parkinson's Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI) study. The associations of LILRB4 loci with image data, CSF biomarkers, and clinical scales at baseline were assessed using multiple linear models. Results Dopamine transporter (DAT)‐SPECT results showed that the striatal binding ratios (SBR) in the right caudate ( β = 0.160, 95% CI = 0.076–0.244, P c = 0.002), right putamen ( β = 0.135, 95% CI = 0.057–0.214, P c = 0.009), anterior right putamen ( β = 0.156, 95% CI = 0.073–0.240, P c = 0.003) and left caudate ( β = 0.121, 95% CI = 0.038–0.2050, P c = 0.048) were positively associated with LILRB4 . Meanwhile, LILRB4 was associated with reductions in semantic fluency ( β = −2.135, 95% CI = −3.225 to 1.046, P c = 0.001) and impairments in nigrostriatal white matter (WM) microstructure as assessed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) (right rostral of substantia nigra (SN), β = −0.026, 95% CI = −0.030 to 0.013, P c = 0.002; right middle SN, β = −0.021, 95% CI = −0.033 to 0.009, P c = 0.012). These associations were more prominent in females (DAT in right caudate, β = 0.246, 95% CI = 0.099–0.392, P c = 0.013; DTI in right middle of SN, β = −0.025 95% CI = −0.040 to 0.010, P c = 0.021), but less pronounced in males (DAT in right caudate, p = 0.036, P c = 0.396; DTI in right rostral of SN, β = −0.025 95% CI = −0.041 to 0.008, P c = 0.021). Interestingly, in females, we also observed associations between LILRB4 and higher CSF α‐synuclein levels ( β = 0.177, 95% CI = 0.062–0.292, p = 3.280E−03, P c = 0.036) and worse cognitive performance (Activity of Daily Living scale, β = −2.073, 95% CI = −3.446 to 0.699, P c = 0.025; Semantic Fluency test, β = −2.508 95% CI = −4.255 to 0.761, P c = 0.032). Although our results suggested that dopamine and its metabolites, astrocyte markers, and inflammation‐related molecules were associated with LILRB4 , these associations disappeared after false discovery rate (FDR) correction ( p ≤ 0.05, but P c > 0.05). Conclusion Our study supposes that LILRB4 may play a crucial role in modulating PD clinical characteristics by influencing nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuron function, Alzheimer's disease (AD)‐related pathology, WM microstructural alterations, and astrocyte activation.