Transcobalamin polymorphism and serum holo-transcobalamin in relation to Alzheimer's disease.
McCaddon A, Blennow K, Hudson P, Hughes A, Barber J, Gray R, Davies G, Williams JH, Duguid J, Lloyd A, Tandy S, Everall M, Cattell H, McCaddon A, Ellis D, Palmer M, Bogdanovic N, Gottfries CG, Zetterberg H, Rymo L, Regland B.
University of Wales College of Medicine, Division of General Practice, Wrexham, UK. andrew@mccaddon.demon.co.uk

Isoforms of the vitamin B(12) carrier protein transcobalamin (TC) might influence its cellular availability and contribute to the association between disrupted single-carbon metabolism and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We therefore investigated the relationships between the TC 776C>G (Pro259Arg) genetic polymorphism, total serum cobalamin and holo-TC levels, and disease onset in 70 patients with clinically diagnosed AD and 74 healthy elderly controls. TC 776C>G polymorphism was also determined for 94 histopathologically confirmed AD patients and 107 controls. Serum holo-TC levels were significantly higher in TC 776C homozygotes (p = 0.04). Kaplan-Meier survival functions differed between homozygous genotypes (Cox's F-Test F(42, 46) = 2.1; p = 0.008) and between 776C homozygotes and heterozygotes (Cox's F test F(46, 108) = 1.7; p = 0.02). Proportionately fewer TC 776C homozygotes appear to develop AD at any given age, but this will require confirmation in a longitudinal study. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

« Back to abstracts

News

Coming Soon !  The full video recording of the Euromedlab 2007 Active B12 workshop will be available in the next few weeks, register for your copy.

 

Live CME Web Conference on vitamin B12 deficiency, Prof. Ralph Green, Dec 13th 2007, register now.

read more »

Meetings

8-11 December, 2007
American Society of Hematology, Atlanta, booth 544
read more »