Objective: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. Identification
of PD and Parkinson-plus genes will inform us for further elucidation of the disease mechanisms and
therapeutic approaches. Accordingly, in this study, an Iranian pedigree with familial PD was selected
to investigate the underlying genetic causes by whole exome sequencing (WES). Methods: WES was
performed on two affected family members to identify shared pathogenic putative variants. WES
finding was confirmed by Sanger sequencing in two sisters. Results: Prioritizing genes related to
parkinsonism identified one homozygous pathogenic mutation: g.20655C>T, c.1366C>T (p.Q456X)
on the 7th exon of PINK1 gene. This homozygous C to T transition which introduces a premature
termination codon (PTC) was predicted to be disease causing.
Conclusion: In the present study, we report the successful application of WES to identify the molecular
pathogenesis of autosomal recessive PD, which is a genetically heterogeneous disorder. The presence of this mutation in patients with family history draws attentions to the importance of genetic counseling.