Endothelin-converting enzyme-1 is expressed in human cerebral cortex and protects against Alzheimer's disease.
Mol Psychiatry
; 9(12): 1122-8, 1059, 2004 Dec.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-15340356
ABSTRACT
Cerebral accumulation of beta-amyloid peptide (A beta) is a central event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) is a candidate A beta-degrading enzyme in brain, but its involvement in AD pathogenesis was never assessed. We first performed brain immunocytochemistry, using a monoclonal anti-ECE-1 antibody, and observed neuronal ECE-1 expression in various cortical regions of nondemented subjects. In the hippocampus, ECE-1 immunoreactivity showed a stereotypical pattern inversely correlated with susceptibility to A beta deposition, further suggesting a physiological role in A beta clearance. In order to undertake a genetic association study, we identified a functional genetic variant (ECE1B C-338A) located in a regulatory region of the ECE1 gene. We showed that the A allele is associated with increased transcriptional activity in promoter-reporter gene assays and with increased ECE-1 mRNA expression in human neocortex. In a case-control study involving 401 patients with late-onset AD and 461 aged controls, we found that homozygous carriers of the A allele had a reduced risk of AD (OR=0.47, 95% CI 0.25-0.88). This finding was strengthened by the analysis of two other genetic variants of the ECE1 gene, which showed that the genetic association is extended over at least 13 kilobases of the gene sequence. Our results suggest that ECE-1 expression in brain may be critical for cortical A beta clearance and offer new potential targets for therapeutic interventions in AD.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Córtex Cerebral
/
Ácido Aspártico Endopeptidases
/
Doença de Alzheimer
/
Neurônios
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
/
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Mol Psychiatry
Assunto da revista:
BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR
/
PSIQUIATRIA
Ano de publicação:
2004
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
França