Affiliations: [a] Disciplina de Biologia Molecular, Hemocentro FAMEMA, Faculdade de Medicina de Marília, Marília, São Paulo, Brasil | [b] Departamento de Morfologia, UNIFESP Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brasil | [c] Departamento de Neurologia Clínica, UNIFESP Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brasil | [d] Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, UNIFESP Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brasil
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Spencer Luiz Marques Payão (PhD), Laboratório de Citogenética e Biologia Molecular, Hemocentro, Famema, Rua Lourival Freire, 240, Bairro Fragata, CEP 17519-050, Marília, São Paulo, Brazil. Tel.: +55 14 42 11 856; Fax: +55 14 433 0148; E-mail: slmpayao@famema.br.
Abstract: Ribosomal genes are involved in cellular transcription, translation and gene expression modulation process. An association between 28S/18S rRNA ratio levels with apoptosis and aging has been reported. Moulder et al. [22] and Hashimoto et al. [8] showed an association between apolipoprotein E4 allele and neuronal cell apotosis through diverse mechanisms. The apoE 4 allele is considered a late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factor associated with AD pathogenesis. We evaluated the association between apoE4 allele genotyping by PCR and rRNA 28S/18S ratio by slot blotting technique using peripheral blood samples of 18 Alzheimer's disease patients, 18 elderly controls and 18 young controls. A rRNA ratio decrease was observed in AD individuals confirming our previous results but this association is independently of the ApoE4 allele genotype. Thus our results pointed that two different mechanisms are involved in the etiology of Alzheimer disease each one leading independently to cell death. Further studies could investigate these factors.
Keywords: ageing, Alzheimer's disease, Ribosomal genes, apolipoprotein E, 28S/18SrRNA
