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GWAS of cerebrospinal fluid tau levels identifies risk variants for Alzheimer's disease.

ABSTRACT: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau, tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (ptau), and A??? are established biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and have been used as quantitative traits for genetic analyses. We performed the largest genome-wide association study for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau/ptau levels published to date (n = 1,269), identifying three genome-wide significant loci for CSF tau and ptau: rs9877502 (p = 4.89 × 10?? for tau) located at 3q28 between GEMC1 and OSTN, rs514716 (p = 1.07 × 10?? and p = 3.22 × 10?? for tau and ptau, respectively), located at 9p24.2 within GLIS3 and rs6922617 (p = 3.58 × 10?? for CSF ptau) at 6p21.1 within the TREM gene cluster, a region recently reported to harbor rare variants that increase AD risk. In independent data sets, rs9877502 showed a strong association with risk for AD, tangle pathology, and global cognitive decline (p = 2.67 × 10??, 0.039, 4.86 × 10??, respectively) illustrating how this endophenotype-based approach can be used to identify new AD risk loci.

SUBMITTER: Cruchaga C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3664945 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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GWAS of cerebrospinal fluid tau levels identifies risk variants for Alzheimer's disease.

Cruchaga Carlos C Kauwe John S K JS Harari Oscar O Jin Sheng Chih SC Cai Yefei Y Karch Celeste M CM Benitez Bruno A BA Jeng Amanda T AT Skorupa Tara T Carrell David D Bertelsen Sarah S Bailey Matthew M McKean David D Shulman Joshua M JM De Jager Philip L PL Chibnik Lori L Bennett David A DA Arnold Steve E SE Harold Denise D Sims Rebecca R Gerrish Amy A Williams Julie J Van Deerlin Vivianna M VM Lee Virginia M-Y VM Shaw Leslie M LM Trojanowski John Q JQ Haines Jonathan L JL Mayeux Richard R Pericak-Vance Margaret A MA Farrer Lindsay A LA Schellenberg Gerard D GD Peskind Elaine R ER Galasko Douglas D Fagan Anne M AM Holtzman David M DM Morris John C JC Goate Alison M AM

Neuron 20130404 2

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau, tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (ptau), and Aβ₄₂ are established biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and have been used as quantitative traits for genetic analyses. We performed the largest genome-wide association study for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau/ptau levels published to date (n = 1,269), identifying three genome-wide significant loci for CSF tau and ptau: rs9877502 (p = 4.89 × 10⁻⁹ for tau) located at 3q28 between GEMC1 and OSTN, rs514716 (p = 1.07 ...[more]

PMID: 23562540

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Project description:BackgroundIncreased total tau (t-tau) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a key characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is considered to result from neurodegeneration. T-tau levels, however, can be increased in very early disease stages, when neurodegeneration is limited, and can be normal in advanced disease stages. This suggests that t-tau levels may be driven by other mechanisms as well. Because tau pathophysiology is emerging as treatment target for AD, we aimed to clarify molecular processes associated with CSF t-tau levels.MethodsWe performed a proteomic, genomic, and imaging study in 1380 individuals with AD, in the preclinical, prodromal, and mild dementia stage, and 380 controls from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and EMIF-AD Multimodality Biomarker Discovery study.ResultsWe found that, relative to controls, AD individuals with increased t-tau had increased CSF concentrations of over 400 proteins enriched for neuronal plasticity processes. In contrast, AD individuals with normal t-tau had decreased levels of these plasticity proteins and showed increased concentrations of proteins indicative of blood-brain barrier and blood-CSF barrier dysfunction, relative to controls. The distinct proteomic profiles were already present in the preclinical AD stage and persisted in prodromal and dementia stages implying that they reflect disease traits rather than disease states. Dysregulated plasticity proteins were associated with SUZ12 and REST signaling, suggesting aberrant gene repression. GWAS analyses contrasting AD individuals with and without increased t-tau highlighted several genes involved in the regulation of gene expression. Targeted analyses of SNP rs9877502 in GMNC, associated with t-tau levels previously, correlated in individuals with AD with CSF concentrations of 591 plasticity associated proteins. The number of APOE-e4 alleles, however, was not associated with the concentration of plasticity related proteins.ConclusionsCSF t-tau levels in AD are associated with altered levels of proteins involved in neuronal plasticity and blood-brain and blood-CSF barrier dysfunction. Future trials may need to stratify on CSF t-tau status, as AD individuals with increased t-tau and normal t-tau are likely to respond differently to treatment, given their opposite CSF proteomic profiles.

Project description:Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a complex and multifactorial disease. While large genome-wide association studies have had some success in identifying novel genetic risk factors for AD, case-control studies are less likely to uncover genetic factors that influence progression of disease. An alternative approach to identifying genetic risk for AD is the use of quantitative traits or endophenotypes. The use of endophenotypes has proven to be an effective strategy, implicating genetic risk factors in several diseases, including anemia, osteoporosis and heart disease. In this study we identify a genetic factor associated with the rate of decline in AD patients and present a methodology for identification of other such factors. We have used an established biomarker for AD, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (ptau(181)) levels as an endophenotype for AD, identifying a SNP, rs1868402, in the gene encoding the regulatory sub-unit of protein phosphatase B, associated with CSF ptau(181) levels in two independent CSF series (P(combined) = 1.17 x 10(-05)). We show no association of rs1868402 with risk for AD or age at onset, but detected a very significant association with rate of progression of disease that is consistent in two independent series (P(combined) = 1.17 x 10(-05)). Our analyses suggest that genetic variants associated with CSF ptau(181) levels may have a greater impact on rate of progression, while genetic variants such as APOE4, that are associated with CSF A?(42) levels influence risk and onset but not the rate of progression. Our results also suggest that drugs that inhibit or decrease tau phosphorylation may slow cognitive decline in individuals with very mild dementia or delay the appearance of memory problems in elderly individuals with low CSF A?(42) levels. Finally, we believe genome-wide association studies of CSF tau/ptau(181) levels should identify novel genetic variants which will likely influence rate of progression of AD.

Dataset Information

GWAS of cerebrospinal fluid tau levels identifies risk variants for Alzheimer's disease.

Publications

GWAS of cerebrospinal fluid tau levels identifies risk variants for Alzheimer's disease.

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