Alzheimer's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alzheimer's Disease, including details on diagnosis, memory loss, heredity, treatment, medication.

Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus: the cholinesterase connection?

Sridhar GR, Thota H, Allam AR, Suresh Babu C, Siva Prasad A, Divakar Ch

Endocrine and Diabetes Centre, 15-12-16 Krishnanagar, Visakhapatnam 530 002, India. sridharvizag@gmail.com

Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus tend to occur together. We sought to identify protein(s) common to both conditions that could suggest a possible unifying pathogenic role. Using human neuronal butyrylcholinesterase (AAH08396.1) as the reference protein we used BLAST Tool for protein to protein comparison in humans. We found three groups of sequences among a series of 12, with an E-value between 0-12, common to both Alzheimer's disease and diabetes: butyrylcholinesterase precursor K allele (NP_000046.1), acetylcholinesterase isoform E4-E6 precursor (NP_000656.1), and apoptosis-related acetylcholinesterase (1B41|A). Butyrylcholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase related proteins were found common to both Alzheimer's disease and diabetes; they may play an etiological role via influencing insulin resistance and lipid metabolism.

Published 24 November 2006 in Lipids Health Dis, 5: 28.
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