Affiliations: [a] Department of Morphology, Genetics Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP/EPM), São Paulo, SP, Brazil | [b] Department of Clinical Neurology, Neurology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP/EPM), SP, Brazil | [c] Genetics and Molecular Biology, Hemocentro, Faculdade de Medicina de Marília (FAMEMA), Marília, SP, Brazil
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Marília de Arruda Cardoso Smith, Disciplina de Genética, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/ Escola Paulista de Medicina, Rua Botucatu 740 CEP: 04023-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Tel.: +55 11 55764260; Fax: +55 11 55764264; E-mail: macsmith.morf@epm.br.
Abstract: Longevity related genes were investigated concerning promoter methylation. SIRT3, SMARCA5, HTERT and CDH1 promoters were analyzed in peripheral blood in relation to gender, age and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methylation Specifc PCR assay (MSP) was used. There were no significant differences in methylation frequencies of SIRT3, SMARCA5 and CDH1 among young, elderly and AD groups (p> 0.05), showing no association with aging or AD. On the other hand, HTERT methylation frequency was associated with the aging process, in that AD patients differed from elderly controls (p=0.0086), probably due to telomere and immune dysfunctions involved in AD pathogenesis.
