title: Elevated stearoyl-CoA desaturase in brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: The molecular bases of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remain unclear. We used a lipidomic approach to identify lipid abnormalities in the brains of subjects with AD (N = 37) compared to age-matched controls (N = 17). The analyses revealed statistically detectable elevations in levels of non-esterified monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and mead acid (20:3n-9) in mid-frontal cortex, temporal cortex and hippocampus of AD patients. Further studies showed that brain mRNAs encoding for isoforms of the rate-limiting enzyme in MUFAs biosynthesis, stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD-1, SCD-5a and SCD-5b), were elevated in subjects with AD. The monounsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio ('desaturation index')--displayed a strong negative correlation with measures of cognition: the Mini Mental State Examination test (r = -0.80; P = 0.0001) and the Boston Naming test (r = -0.57; P = 0.0071). Our results reveal a previously unrecognized role for the lipogenic enzyme SCD in AD.
authors: Department of Pharmacology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America.
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Astarita
authors: Kwang-Mook
authors: KM
authors: Jung
authors: Vitaly
authors: V
authors: Vasilevko
authors: Nicholas V
authors: NV
authors: Dipatrizio
authors: Sarah K
authors: SK
authors: Martin
authors: David H
authors: DH
authors: Cribbs
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Head
authors: Carl W
authors: CW
authors: Cotman
authors: Daniele
authors: D
authors: Piomelli
mesh_terms: D015126:8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000209:etiology; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000032:analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D013230:Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013230:Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase; D015126:8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; C010944:mead acid