Association between an alpha(2) macroglobulin DNA polymorphism and late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
An association between a five-base-pair deletion/insertion DNA polymorphism at the alpha(2) macroglobulin gene (A2M) and late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) has been recently described. We developed a PCR assay to analyze this polymorphism in 190 LOAD patients (older than 65 years) and 400 controls from Spain. Controls were stratified into three groups: <65 years (n = 200), 65 to 80 years (n = 100), and 81 years or older (n = 100). We found a significantly higher frequency of carriers of the D allele in patients older than 81 years compared to controls older than 81 years (p = 0.0012). In addition, the frequency of the D allele was significantly lower in controls older than 81 years compared to controls younger than 65 (p = 0.048). Our work suggests that the D allele confers an age-dependent increased risk to develop late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Alvarez
V
V
Laboratorio Genética Molecular-Instituto Investigación Nefrológica, Hospital Central Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.
Alvarez
R
R
Lahoz
C H
CH
Martínez
C
C
Peña
J
J
Guisasola
L M
LM
Salas-Puig
J
J
Morís
G
G
Uría
D
D
Menes
B B
BB
Ribacoba
R
R
Vidal
J A
JA
Sánchez
J M
JM
Coto
E
E
D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D002881:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 12; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000235:genetics*
D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins