title: The C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase mutation is not associated with Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene has been recently considered as a candidate gene for Alzheimer's disease (AD). MTHFR is a key enzyme in the metabolism of homocysteine and elevated levels of that amino acid have been associated to Vascular Dementia and AD. A T-->C transition at codon 677 produces a thermolabile type of the enzyme. However, contrasting results on the distribution of the MTHFR C677T common polymorphism in AD have been published. We analyzed the distribution of the MTHFR and apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphisms in Italian patients with sporadic AD. The distribution of the C677T polymorphism did not differ in AD and controls. Our data suggest that the MTHFR polymorphism does not contribute to genetic susceptibility in Italian sporadic AD and does not mitigate the effect of ApoE epsilon4 allele on AD risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Critical Care, Section of Clinical Medicine and Cardiology University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brunelli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bagnoli
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Giusti
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nacmias
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pepe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sorbi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abbate
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2); D008875:Middle Aged; D000587:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D000587:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)