DAPK1 Linked to Cell Death in Alzheimer’s Disease

Recent research could lead to a new understanding of the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers for Celera Genomics collected DNA samples from 2,012 individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease and 2,336 controls. Samples were specifically analyzed for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that might cause changes in gene or protein activity or function. Researchers discovered 2 SNPs in the death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) that were significantly correlated with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. In cell cultures and animal models, nerves without DAPK1 were less vulnerable to cell death. Evidence indicates that DAPK1 controls the death of nerve cells in areas of the brain most critically affected by Alzheimer’s. This study appears in Human Molecular Genetics and was presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Madrid. http://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/ddl178v1