Scientists have known for more than a decade that individuals with a certain gene are at higher risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. Now a new study helps explain why this is so.
The research, led by scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), has uncovered a molecular mechanism that links the susceptibility gene to the process of Alzheimer's disease onset. The findings appear in the April 11 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience and may lead to new pathways for development of Alzheimer's therapeutics.
Approximately 15 percent of the population carries a gene that causes their bodies to produce a lipoprotein—a combination of fat and protein that transports lipids (fats) in the blood—known as apolipoprotein (Apo) E4. Studies have found that those who inherit the E4 gene from one parent are three times more likely than average to develop Alzheimer's, while those who get the gene from both parents have a tenfold risk of developing the disease.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-04/omrf-nsz040907.php
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