Alzheimer's disease: dominant susceptibility genes

Article Abstract:

Alzheimer's disease is an extremely common cause of dementia in the elderly. Some studies, notably a recent East Boston study, have found a prevalence of Alzheimer's-like symptoms in half of all subjects over the age of 85. Indeed, there is even some confusion about the distinction between some of the effects of 'normal' aging and neuropathological effects of Alzheimer's disease. In the September 13, 1990 issue of Nature, researchers report the result of a large-scale evaluation of many families to determine to what degree Alzheimer's disease may be genetic. The results suggest that when one considers only early-onset Alzheimer's disease, that is, onset before the age of 65, the disease may be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. The disorder seems to be linked to chromosome 21, which has been implicated as a likely suspect by other lines of research, as well. However, the genetic linkage of Alzheimer's disease among the older-onset patients is weak, at best. This might be interpreted to mean that Alzheimer's disease is not a homogeneous disorder. Rather, the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease may be the result of related, but distinct, disease processes. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

editorial

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Genetic linkage studies suggest that Alzheimer's disease is not a single homogeneous disorder

Article Abstract:

There has been some controversy about the heritability of Alzheimer's disease. Some studies have found a linkage with chromosome 21, while others have failed to confirm such a linkage. In order to clarify this issue, the linkage of Alzheimer's disease to genes on chromosome 21 was investigated using five DNA markers. Forty-eight distinct family pedigrees were investigated. It was found that the apparent genetic linkage of Alzheimer's disease depends upon the age of onset of the disease. When only early-onset patients (those with onset under 65 years) were considered, a significant linkage with genes on the long arm of chromosome 21 was observed. However, in the families of patients with late-onset Alzheimer's disease, no significant linkage with chromosome 21 was observed. The authors interpret this to mean that there is more than one cause of Alzheimer's disease. In some cases, Alzheimer's disease is caused by a gene which is located on chromosome 21. In other cases, the disease may be caused by other genes, by mixed influences, or by environmental influences. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

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Cloning of a gene bearing missense mutations in early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease

Article Abstract:

The locus AD3 which encodes 19 different transcripts is associated with susceptibility to an aggressive early-onset form of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Samples taken from sufferer of this form of AD show five missense mutations in S182, one of the transcripts encoded by AD3 but non-sufferers do not show these mutations. The mutations involve heterozygous nucleotide substitution and may cause early-onset of AD. Studies show that the S182 protein is an integral membrane protein which might be either a receptor or channel protein.

Causes of, Mutation (Biology), Mutation

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