1. Anti Alzheimer's Herbs. Alzheimer's Is Genetic Protect Your
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Apolipoprotein alzheimer's disease connection
The scientific enthusiasm about the possible role of amyloid protein in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease
has been further fueled by the results of molecular genetics studies that have identified genes
associated with familial (inherited) Alzheimer's disease on chromosomes 21, 14, 1, and 19. The first specific gene
linked with familial Alzheimer's disease was the APP gene on chromosome 21, which is responsible for producing
amyloid protein. After the initial report, several other mutations were found in the region of the
APP gene in members of families that had a history of Alzheimer's disease onset at a relatively young age. How
these mutations alter the behavior of APP and their significance to normal cell functioning are not
known, but are being actively studied. Subsequently, a region on chromosome 14 was also linked
to an early-onset form of the disease. Recently the exact locus of this gene was pinpointed. The
exact function of this gene is still unknown, but it is only a matter of time when this will be no
longer be a mystery. Within a short period following the discovery of the of the locus of chromosome
14, a locus on chromosome 1 was linked to a family with an unusually high incidence of Alzheimer's disease,
known as the Volga-German families.
The fourth and perhaps the most important recently discovered gene linked to AAlzheimer's disease is the
Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene on chromosome 19, which has been associated with many lateonset
familial cases of Alzheimer's disease as well as sporadic cases in the over-60 age group. (Sporadic cases are
those occurring in individuals who have no strong family history of the disease.) The ApoE gene
directs the synthesis of a cholesterol-transporting blood protein. The gene occurs in three different
forms: apoE2, apoE3, and apoE4. One of these, apoE4, is found in 14% of control populations but
is present in 30 to 40% of the late-onset sporadic cases of Alzheimer's disease before age 70 and rises to 90% for
individuals who are homozygous for apoE4, which means they have inherited this form of the gene
from both parents. These people have a 5:1 odds of developing Alzheimer's disease, compared with the 15:1 odds
in individuals who have a single ApoE4 gene. It has been estimated that between 25 and 40% of
Alzheimer's disease cases can be attributed to the presence of this form of the gene.
Not only does the ApoE gene have a strong and consistent relationship with the disease, but,
within a few months after it was identified, researchers postulated a plausible biological explanation
for its role in the pathological processes of Alzheimer's disease. It has been shown that the protein encoded by the
ApoE gene has a high affinity for and binds with beta-amyloid in the plaques. Among Alzheimer’s
patients, those who have the gene for apoE4 have larger plaques than those who lack the gene. It
appears that ApoE4 acts as a chaperone to APP and, in some unknown way, promotes the formation
of neuritic plaques. It has also been postulated that it plays an important role in the formation of
neurofibrillary tangles. In the brain ApoE proteins are taken up by neurons in large quantities after
neuronal injury and appear to play an important role in various recuperative processes and in
neuronal plasticity.
Anti Alzheimer's Herbs. Alzheimer's Is Genetic Protect Your
Future
www.alzheimer-herbs.com/