Affiliations: [a] Faculdade de Medicina de Marília, São Paulo, Brazil | [b] Universidades do Sagrado Coração, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil | [c] Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil | [d] The Brain Bank - Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada | [e] Laboratório NeoGene, Faculdade de Medicina da UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Spencer Luiz Marques Payão, PhD, Laboratório de Genética, Hemocentro, FAMEMA, Rua Lourival Freire, 240, Bairro Fragata, CEP 17519-050, Marília, São Paulo, Brazil. Tel.: +55 14 34021856; Fax: +55 14 34330148; E-mail: slmpayao@famema.br.
Abstract: Presenilin 1 (PSEN1) and presenilin 2 (PSEN2) genes encode the major component of y–secretase, which is responsible for sequential proteolytic cleavages of amyloid precursor proteins and the subsequent formation of amyloid-β peptides. 150 RNA samples from the entorhinal cortex, auditory cortex and hippocampal regions of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and controls elderly subjects were analyzed with using real-time rtPCR. There were no differences between groups for PSEN1 expression. PSEN2 was significantly downregulated in the auditory cortex of AD patients when compared to controls and when compared to other brain regions of the patients. Alteration in PSEN2 expression may be a risk factor for AD.
