ABSTRACT
Blood coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) plays a role in inflammatory processes and a pathogenetic role of inflammation in neurodegenerative disorders has been proposed. FXIIIa subunit was immunohistochemically detected in a subpopulation of reactive microglia in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aim of the present study is to evaluate whether a common polymorphism of the FXIII gene is associated with sporadic AD. We examined 90 patients affected by sporadic AD and 139 age- and sex-matched controls to assess the distribution of V/L alleles and genotypes of the FXIIIa-subunit gene. The LL genotype showed a significantly higher frequency in AD patients (p<0.05) with a significantly increased risk of AD in the presence of LL genotype at the logistic regression analysis [odds ratio: 3.6 (1.36-9.44), p<0.01]. This study shows for the first time an association between FXIII Val34Leu polymorphism and AD.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Factor XIII/genetics , Leucine/genetics , Polymorphism, Genetic , Valine/genetics , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Case-Control Studies , Chi-Square Distribution , DNA Mutational Analysis/methods , Female , Humans , Logistic Models , MaleABSTRACT
Inflammatory processes contribute to the pathogenesis and complications of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD). Several findings indicate that chlamydial heat shock proteins (HSP) may represent a particularly strong antigenic stimulus, able to induce specific humoral (Ab) and T-cell-mediated immune responses (CMI) linking infection by Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP) to immuno-pathological sequelae such as atherosclerosis and CHD. We have here evaluated the ability of chlamydial recombinant (r) HSP60 and rHSP10 to induce specific immune responses in human peripheral blood lymphocytes and in murine models. rHSP60, but not rHSP10, was shown to induce proliferation and Interferon-gamma secretion in lymphocytes of randomly selected blood donors, as well as to generate and detect delayed-type hypersensitivity response in HSP60-vaccinated mice. Overall, the present study provides new hints to evaluate a previous exposition to CP using rHSP60 in humans. Thus the evaluation of specific HSP60 CMI response in healthy subject could be useful to monitor the reactivity to Chlamydia pneumoniae possibly providing a link to CHD pathologies.
