Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) acts as an immunosuppressant by inhibiting the expression of several pro-inflammatory cytokines. Its gene contains single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at codon +10 (T → C) and +25 (G → C) that appear to influence the level of expression of TGF-β1. We investigated these SNPs in 198 healthy controls (HC), 193 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 48 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Among the latter, after a 4-year follow-up, 21 were diagnosed as AD (MCI → AD) while 18 did not progress (stable MCI). We observed that both the +10 C allele and the CC genotype were over-represented in AD when compared to HC. These variants significantly raised the risk of disease independently of the status of apolipoprotein E4. The CC genotype was also over-expressed in MCI, especially in MCI → AD. These results suggest that TGF-β1 may be one of the early markers involved in the inflammatory mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of AD.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 553-557 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Mechanisms of Ageing and Development |
Volume | 128 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2007 |
Keywords
- Alzheimer's disease
- Cytokines
- Gene polymorphisms
- Inflammation
- TGF-β1
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ageing
- Biochemistry
- Developmental Biology
- Developmental Neuroscience