title: Alterations of membrane protein expression in red blood cells of Alzheimer's disease patients.
abstract: Preventive measures, prognosis, or selected therapy in multifactorial maladies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), require the application of a wide range of diagnostic assays. There is a large unmet need for relatively simple, blood-based biomarkers in this regard. We have recently developed a rapid and reliable flow cytometry and antibody-based method for the quantitative measurement of various red blood cell (RBC) membrane proteins from a drop of blood. Here, we document that the RBC expression of certain membrane proteins, especially that of the GLUT1 transporter and the insulin receptor (INSR), is significantly higher in AD patients than in age-matched healthy subjects. The observed differences may reflect long-term metabolic alterations relevant in the development of AD. These findings may pave the way for a diagnostic application of RBC membrane proteins as relatively stable and easily accessible personalized biomarkers in AD.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Várady
authors.affiliation: Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Edit
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Szabó
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Ágnes
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Fehér
authors.affiliation: Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Adrienn
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Németh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Boglárka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zámbó
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Magdolna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pákáski
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zoltán
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Janka
authors.affiliation: Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary; MTA-SE Molecular Biophysics Research Group, Semmelweis University, Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Balázs
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sarkadi
keywords: ABCA1; ABCB6; ABCG2; Biomarkers; Erythrocyte membrane; GLUT1 transporter; Insulin receptor; PMCA; Red cell membrane proteins