Decreased DNA repair capacity in familial, but not in sporadic Alzheimer's disease.
Using the alkaline filter elution technique we determined the induction and disappearance of DNA single-strand breaks (SSB) in freshly isolated peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from 43 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and 48 normal, healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects following in vitro exposure to N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU). The mean percentage SSB disappearance in PBL from control subjects at 1 h after ENU treatment was 41.4 +/- 2.9%; this was not significantly different from that found in samples from AD patients which had no (n = 16) or one (n = 12) first-degree relative with dementia (42.5 +/- 8.2% and 43.0 +/- 4.4%, respectively; p greater than 0.75). However, in PBL of 15 AD patients with at least two first-degree relatives with dementia the mean percentage SSB disappearance was 23.6 +/- 5.8%, which was significantly lower than that found in controls (p less than 0.01) or in the other AD patients (p less than 0.02).
Boerrigter
M E
ME
Department of Molecular Biology, TNO Institute for Experimental Gerontology, Rijswijk, The Netherlands.
van Duijn
C M
CM
Mullaart
E
E
Eikelenboom
P
P
van der Togt
C M
CM
Knook
D L
DL
Hofman
A
A
Vijg
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000502:physiology*; D005038:Ethylnitrosourea; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D005038:Ethylnitrosourea