title: On the lack of a clear-cut association between alpha-2-macroglobulin deletion and the risk of Alzheimer disease in Poland.
abstract: Alzheimer disease (AD) is a complex, multi-factorial disease with the potential involvement of several genes. Alpha-2- macroglobulin (A2M) has been implicated in AD on the basis of its ability to mediate the clearance and degradation of -amyloid peptide. Nevertheless, it is not clear whether there are racial differences in frequency of polymorphisms of A2M in AD. We examined a group of 50 unrelated patients from Poland (38 women and 12 men), who were diagnosed clinically as probably developing AD (according to the N1NCD3 - ADR PA criteria). The patients were examined by a neurologist and a psychologist and had a CT or MRI scan of the brain. Fifty individuals of matched age, without any signs of dementia, were studied as a control group. DNA was extracted by a routine method from a blood sample. Amplification and genotyping at A2M was performed as described by Blacker et al. (1997). The genotypic distribution in A2M exon 18 in patients with AD and genotype TT in A2M exon 24 was similar to that in the controls. Significant differences were noted only in early onset AD in males and for old onset disease in females. The deletions were found more frequently in AD; however, they were found in only a small proportion of studied patients. These findings indicate that A2M is not the only biological candidate gene for AD determination.
authors.affiliation: Grazyna Michalowska-Wender, Neuroimmunological Unit, Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355 Poznań, Poland, phone/fax: +48 61 869 17 91, e-mail: grazynawender@wp.pl.
authors.forename: Grażyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Michałowska-Wender
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wawrzynek
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rossa
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kozubski
authors.forename: Mieczysław
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wender
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins