Affiliations: [a] Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Genova, Italy | [b] Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, The Italian Institute of Technology, Genova, Italy | [c] Department of Experimental Medicine and Oncology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy | [d] Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology and Genetics, University of Genova, Genova, Italy | [e] College of Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA | [f] Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Dr. Massimo Tabaton, Unit of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy. Tel.: +39 010 3537064; Fax: +39 010 506938; E-mail: mtabaton@neurologia.unige.it.
Note: [] Handling Editor: Jesus Avila
Abstract: The activity of the β-secretase involved in the cleavage of amyloid-β (Aβ) is increased in sporadic late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Whether the corresponding γ-secretase activity is altered is still uncertain. We evaluated mRNA expression and protein levels of presenilin 1 (PS1) and γ-secretase activity in the frontal cortex of 32 cases with late-onset sporadic AD and those of 29 control subjects. We found a significant increase in PS1 mRNA, protein levels and γ-secretase activity in AD cases. These findings suggest that upregulation of PS1 leads to Aβ overproduction and accumulation in sporadic AD.
