NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Polymorphisms in the promotor region of the gene for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are tied to a heightened risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Italian researchers report. These changes may compromise VEGF’s neuroprotective effects.
The findings, which appear in the Annals of Neurology for March, are based on an analysis of the VEGF promotor region in 249 patients with sporadic AD and 347 healthy controls.
Dr. Roberto Del Bo, from the University of Milan, and colleagues found that the distribution of 2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms differed between the AD group and controls. The -2578A/A and the -1198C/T genotypes were significantly more common among the former group than the latter.
Further analysis showed that the -2578A/A genotype appeared to raise the risk of AD, independent of apolipoprotein E genotype, the major known genetic risk factor for AD.
In an analysis of 96 patients and 49 controls, serum levels of VEGF did not differ significantly between the groups.
“These findings suggest that polymorphisms within the promoter region of the VEGF gene confer greater risk for AD, probably by reducing its neuroprotective effect, and confirm the biological role of VEGF in neurodegenerative processes,” the investigators state.
Source: Ann Neurol 2005;57:373-380. [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Neuroprotective Agents: Polymorphism, Single NucleotideCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
