Calcium in Alzheimer's disease: new suspect and new roles

[James Zheng]

There are two papers I wanted you to read regarding new evidence about
calcium homeostatis in AD. One paper is published in CELL, in which a
Polymorphism in a gene encoding a membrane protein involved in Calcium
homeostatis has been shown to be a risk factor for AD. There is a
piece of News & View in Nature that has nicely summarized the results
(see below).

In addition, a recent paper in Neuron used in vivo imaging to show the
alternation of calcium homeostasis in dendritic spines in AD mouse
model.

Therefore, these papers have shown the important role of calcium in AD
pathogenesis and associated synaptic defects.

- James

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News and Views

Nature 454, 706-708 (7 August 2008) | doi:10.1038/454706a; Published
online 6 August 2008

Alzheimer's disease: The latest suspect

Rudolph E. Tanzi1 & Lars Bertram1
Top of page
Abstract

Many genetic mutations and several environmental factors contribute to
Alzheimer's disease. Yet another disease risk gene, one that is
involved in calcium regulation, has been added to the mix.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by neurodegeneration in several
brain areas, with the hippocampus being one of the first regions
affected. Accumulation of aggregates of the amyloid-beta peptide, for
example in the form of senile plaques, is another feature of this
disorder. Dreses-Werringloer et al.1 set out to search for genes that
are preferentially expressed in the hippocampus and lie in chromosomal
regions that have been linked2 to the risk of developing Alzheimer's
disease. Writing in Cell, they report the identification of a new
Alzheimer's disease risk gene that not only meets both of these
criteria, but also seems to modulate extracellular levels of amyloid-
beta.

...
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Here is the link to this News & View.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7205/full/454706a.html

The original Cell paper is here: http://www.cell.com/content/article/abstract?uid=PIIS0092867408007514

The original Neuron paper is here: http://www.neuron.org/content/article/abstract?uid=PIIS0896627308005011

[Jackey Y]

Have read them and both are very nice papers.
Thank you, James!
-Jackey

> Here is the link to this News & View.http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7205/full/454706a.html