Ubc9 gene polymorphisms and late-onset Alzheimer's disease in the Korean population: A genetic association study

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E21 (Ubc9) ligates small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) to target proteins, resulting in changes of their localization, activity, or stability Sumoylation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) was reported to be associated with decreased levels of beta amyloid (A beta) aggregates, suggesting that sumoylation may play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease(AD). We investigated the association between genetic variations of Ubc9 gene (UBE21) and late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in UBE21 were genotyped in the DNA samples of 312 AD patients, 347 Subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 489 cognitively healthy controls. The genotype distribution of a polymorphism in intron 7 (rs761059) differed between AD cases and controls, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.45 (p = 0.046. 95% Cl: 1.01-2.08) One haplotype (ht2 CAGAG) was found in 14.0% of the AD patients and in 11.1% of the controls (p = 0.04, OR = 1.43 95% Cl: 1.01-2.01). Stratification by the ApoE-epsilon 4 allele gave no significant difference between the groups. When the samples were stratified by gender, the genotypes of two SNPs (rs8052688, rs8063) were significantly associated with the risk of MCI among women. Our investigation suggests that UBE21 polymorphisms might be associated with a risk of AD and MCI. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.