engleski

Phosphorylated tau epitope threonine 231 in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

Abnormal hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau and its incorporation into neurofibrillary tangles are major hallmarks of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using monoclonal antibodies, different tau phosphoepitopes can be sensitively detected in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). A significant elevation in the levels of tau protein phosphorylated at threonine 231 (p-tau231) has been recently observed in CSF of AD patients (Hampel H et al., Arch Gen Psychiatry 2004 ; 61: 95-102 ; de Leon MJ et al., J Intern Med 2004 ; 256: 205-223). We analyzed a group of patients with a clinical diagnosis of AD, with possible AD, and nondemented controls. CSF levels of p-tau231 were measured using a specific antibody against the 231 tau phosphoepitope by both Western blot (using an antibody provided by Peter Davies, New York, USA) and ELISA (antibody and kit from Biosource, Camarillo, CA, USA). CSF levels of p-tau231 were significantly elevated in the patients with definite AD compared to the nondemented controls. Our preliminary results in a small group of cases with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) largely confirmed two earlier studies, which suggest that such an elevation may be a specific indicator of AD-related changes and could improve early detection and tracking disease progression. We conclude that p-tau231 in CSF represents a promising potential biological marker of AD.

Alzheimer's disease ; tau proteins ; phosphorylation ; early diagnosis ; cerebrospinal fluid

Poster A092.9