Expression of the Glucose Transporter GLUT12 in Alzheimer's Disease Patients

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: Pujol-Gimenez, Jonai^a | Martisova, Eva^b | Perez-Mediavilla, Alberto^b | Lostao, María Pilar^a | Ramirez, Maria J.^{b; c; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Physiology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain | [b] Department of Cellular and Molecular Neuropharmacology, Division of Neurosciences, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain | [c] Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Maria J. Ramirez, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, 31080 Pamplona, Spain. Tel.: +34 948 194700/Ext.: 2011; Fax: +34 948 194715; E-mail: mariaja@unav.es.

Abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) might be conceptualized as a metabolic disease with progressive impairment of the brain's capacity to utilize glucose. One of the last glucose transporters discovered is GLUT12. The aim of the present work was to investigate the expression of GLUT12 in frontal cortex from AD patients. Human samples from young control donors barely expressed GLUT12. The level of expression of GLUT12 was significantly higher in AD compare to aged controls. Expression of GLUT12 and Ox-42, a microglia marker, correlate in controls but not in AD. The implications of these findings in AD are discussed further.

Keywords: Frontal cortex, glucose transport, microglia, western blot

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-132498

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 97-101, 2014