title: Dysfunction of the mTOR pathway is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The development of disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease is hampered by our lack of understanding of the early pathogenic mechanisms and the lack of early biomarkers and risk factors.We have documented the expression pattern of mTOR regulated genes in the frontal cortex of Alzheimer's disease patients. We have also examined the functional integrity of mTOR signaling in peripheral lymphocytes in Alzheimer's disease patients relative to healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the brain mTOR is seen to control molecular functions related to cell cycle regulation, cell death and several metabolic pathways. These downstream elements of the mTOR signaling cascade are deregulated in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients well before the development of pathology. This dysregulation of the mTOR downstream signaling cascade is not restricted to the brain but appears to be systemic and can be detected in peripheral lymphocytes as a reduced Rapamycin response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The dysfunction of the signaling pathways downstream of mTOR may represent a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and is independent of the ApoE status of the patients.We have also identified the molecular substrates of the beneficial effects of Rapamycin on the nervous system. We believe that these results can further inform the development of clinical predictive tests for the risk of Alzheimer's disease in patients with mild cognitive impairment.
authors.affiliation: Neuropharmacology and Neurobiology, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. z.nagy@bham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sharon C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Yates
authors.forename: Amen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zafar
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Durant
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bicknell
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wilcock
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Christie
authors.forename: Margaret M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Esiri
authors.forename: A David
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Zsuzsanna
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Nagy
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D012307:Risk Factors; D015398:Signal Transduction; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000494:pharmacology; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D020123:Sirolimus