Title:Apolipoprotein E Gene Revisited: Contribution of Rare Variants to Alzheimer’s Disease Susceptibility in Southern Chinese
Volume: 18
Issue: 1
关键词:
阿尔茨海默病，轻度认知障碍，中国人，载脂蛋白E，罕见变异，遗传学
摘要:
Background: APOE ε4 is the best-known risk factor for late-onset alzheimer’s disease
(AD). Population studies have demonstrated a relatively low prevalence of APOE ε4 among Chinese
population, implying additional risk factors that are Chinese-specific may exist. Apart from -
alleles, genetic variation profile along the full-length APOE has rarely been investigated.
Objective: In this study, we filled this gap by comprehensively determining all genetic variations in
APOE and investigated their potential associations with late-onset AD and mild cognitive impairment
(MCI) in southern Chinese.
Methods: Two hundred and fifty-seven southern Chinese participants were recruited, of whom 69
were AD patients, 83 had MCI, and 105 were normal controls. Full-length APOE from promoter to
3′UTR regions were sequenced. Genetic variants were identified and compared among the three
groups.
Results: While APOE ε4 was more significantly found in AD patients, the prevalence of APOE ε4
in southern Chinese AD patients was the lowest when compared to other areas of China and nearby
regions, as well as other countries worldwide. We further identified 13 rare non-singleton variants
in APOE. Significantly more AD patients carried any of the rare non-singleton variants than MCI
and normal subjects. Such difference was observed in the non-carriers of ε4-allele only. Among the
identified rare variants, the potential functional impact was predicted for rs532314089,
rs553874843, rs533904656 and rs370594287.
Conclusion: Our study suggests an ethnic difference in genetic risk composition of AD in southern
Chinese. Rare variants on APOE are a potential candidate for AD risk stratification biomarker in addition
to APOE-ε4.
