title: Apolipoprotein E polymorphism and dendritic shape in hippocampal interneurons.
abstract: The apolipoprotein E genetic polymorphism exerts a well described influence on Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk, although the pathogenetic mechanism is still not clear. Increasing evidence points to a diminished neuroplasticity in apolipoprotein E varepsilon4-allele carriers. But, alternatively or additionally, developmental differences in dendritic geometry may be associated with the polymorphism. We morphometrically examined the dendritic ramification of CA1 Parvalbumin-positive GABAergic hippocampal neurons (n=571) in matched pairs of aged non-demented individuals with different apolipoprotein E genotype. We chose Parvalbumin-positive interneurons since they lack potentially confounding AD-like cytoskeletal changes. To minimize the risk of transneuronal dendritic changes due to significant deafferentation we focused on non-demented individuals. In this chosen paradigm, neither the disease-associated apolipoprotein E varepsilon4-allele nor the apolipoprotein E varepsilon2-allele had a significant impact on dendritic shape when compared to the most common allelic variant apolipoprotein E varepsilon3/3. At least with respect to the studied cell type, the data suggest that the apolipoprotein E polymorphism does not modulate the original formation of dendrites in vivo, contrary to conclusions drawn from in vitro studies on neurite outgrowth.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Integrative Neuroanatomy, Department of Clinical Cell- and Neurobiology, Charité, 10098 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Bärbel
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schönheit
authors.forename: Frauke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Glöckner
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Ohm
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000235:genetics; D003712:Dendrites / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007395:Interneurons / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016501:Neurites / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E