Main > NEUROLOGY. > Alzheimer's Disease > Treatment > Cholesterol. Connection > Apolipoprotein E Findings > Org.: USA. S (Epsilon-2 Allele) > NPLS Contents
The apparent connection between cholesterol and Alzheimer s disease is strengthened by findings related to apolipoprotein E (apoE), a molecule that helps transport and metabolize cholesterol and triglycerides.
The genes that code for apoE influence the risk of getting Alzheimer s disease. Most people carry the Epsilon-3 version of the apoE gene. Those lucky enough to possess the Epsilon-2 allele are much less likely than the Epsilon-3 carriers to get the disease. Those with the Epsilon-4 allele, which facilitates aggregation and deposition of amyloid-Beta in the brain, are more likely than the average person to develop Alzheimer s.
Author, and colleagues reasoned that inserting copies of the Epsilon-2 allele into an organism s DNA could boost production of the protective form of apoE. They tested their hypothesis in a mouse model of Alzheimer s.
Author s team injected viruses carrying apoE alleles into the hippocampus of mice. Once the new genes were taken up by the animals DNA, the mice began producing the apoE version programmed by the particular allele they had received. The researchers found that expression of the Epsilon-4 allele promoted fibril formation and deposition of amyloid-Beta. Expression of the Epsilon-2 allele, on the other hand, "resulted in a rather robust reduction in hippocampal amyloid-Beta burden," they reported. The researchers suggest that a similar gene delivery technique might be suitable for preventing or treating Alzheimer s disease in humans.
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