[No evidence for association between the alpha 2-macroglobulin polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease in the Han Chinese].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of the pentanucleotide deletion polymorphism adjacent to a consensus splice site in intron 17 of alpha 2-macroglobulin(A2M) gene on the development of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) in the Han Chinese in Guangzhou area.


METHODS
A2M and apolipoprotein E genotypes were examined by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) techniques in the patients(32 men and 65 women) with LOAD and age-matched healthy elderly Chinese subjects (57 men and 54 women).


RESULTS
The A2M gene deletion allele frequency was 2.6% in the cases with LOAD and 2.7% in the controls. In the LOAD cases, the frequency of apoE-epsilon4 increased significantly (Z=3.32, P<0.01). ApoE-epsilon4 was associated with LOAD (RR=2.67, chi(2)=10.71, P<0.01) while the A2M deletion polymorphism was not associated with LOAD even the samples were stratified according to the presence of the apoE-epsilon4 allele.


CONCLUSIONS
The above data demonstrate that there is no evidence for the association of A2M polymorphism with the development of LOAD in the Han Chinese population in Gaungzhou.
Shi
J
J
Department of Geriatrics, Guangzhou Psychiatric Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510370 P.R.China. shiand98@21cn.com
Ma
C
C
Lao
H
H
Feng
R
R
Guo
Y
Y
Mu
N
N
Li
Q
Q
Tan
Y
Y
Wang
D
D
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000235:genetics*
D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins; C040661:apolipoprotein E1