Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) have identified a set of genes that appear to be involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease. They hope this information will help scientists create of methods for early detection of the disease and for the development of therapeutic strategies to delay or even stop its progression.
P. Hemachandra Reddy, of the OHSU Neurological Sciences Institute is the first and corresponding author of the paper, which will be published in the forthcoming issue of the journal Human Molecular Genetics.
"Through studying a mouse model of Alzheimer's, the research team found that a series of genes related to mitochondrial metabolism in brain cells were more active than in normal mice," Reddy said. "Mitochondria are structures located in the cytoplasm of cells that produce energy for the cell. Prior research has linked Alzheimer's to mitochondrial function. However this is the first time genes that are responsible for early cellular change in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis have been identified."
Currently, there are no early detectable biomarkers for Alzheimer's, and there is a lack of understanding of the functional changes caused by this disease, particularly at its early stages. To intervene before neurons become irreversibly damaged, an understanding of early cellular events in the progression of Alzheimer's is critical. Studies of "pre-symptomatic" human subjects suggest that pathologic changes in the brain occur years before symptoms are evident, suggesting that the brain tissue from patients dying from Alzheimer's exhibits physiologic features indicative of a very late stage in the degenerative process.
To determine early cellular changes connected to Alzheimer's disease, the OHSU scientists studied mice that overexpress human mutated amyloid precursor protein. These genetically-altered mice produce heightened levels of amyloid precursor protein. Over time, higher than normal levels of this protein can result in structures in the brain called beta amyloid plaques, which are thought to be either a cause or an effect of Alzheimer's disease.
By studying 11,283 mouse genes and using a gene chip technology called microarray, OHSU scientists were able to identify a much smaller set of distinct genes that functioned differently in the diseased mice from those in healthy mice. These genes are involved in mitochondrial energy metabolism and programmed cell death.
"We studied gene expression levels at three distinct stages of disease progression in the genetically-altered mice relative to age-matched wild-type normal mice," explained Reddy. "We conducted gene expression analysis long before (2 months of age), immediately before (5 months) and after (18 months) the appearance of beta amyloid plaques. In doing this, we found that these mitochondrial genes were more active at 2 months of age when compared to normal mice, and in some cases their activity heightened as the disease progressed. We believe the abnormal gene expression comes in response to beta amyloid-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, even in its early stages. Based on prior research, it's thought that energy metabolism in mitochondria is impaired by heightened levels of beta amyloid in the brain. We believe the genes identified in our study increase their activity to compensate for this damage, but unfortunately in the end they cannot keep up with the progression of Alzheimer's."
A companion study recently published in the journal NeuroMolecular Medicine also found very similar gene expression differences in Alzheimer's disease patients. Scientists believe this demonstrates the value of the mouse model in gaining new knowledge and developing future human therapies.