The Expression of Transthyretin and Amyloid-β Protein Precursor is Altered in the Brain of Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Patients.

BACKGROUND

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a dementing condition in which Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques are frequently observed in the neocortex. iNPH patients with prominent Aβ pathology show AD-related alterations in amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP) processing resulting from increased γ-secretase activity.

OBJECTIVES

Our goal was to assess potential alterations in the global gene expression profile in the brain of iNPH patients as compared to non-demented controls and to evaluate the levels of the identified targets in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of iNPH patients.

METHODS

The genome-wide expression profile of ~35,000 probes was assessed in the RNA samples obtained from 22 iNPH patients and eight non-demented control subjects using a microarray chip. The soluble levels of sAβPPα, sAβPPβ, and transthyretin (TTR) were measured from the CSF of 102 iNPH patients using ELISA.

RESULTS

After correcting the results for multiple testing, significant differences in the expression of TTR and A βPP were observed between iNPH and control subjects. The mRNA levels of TTR were on average 17-fold lower in iNPH samples compared to control samples. Conversely, the expression level of A βPP was on average three times higher in iNPH samples as compared to control samples. Interestingly, the expression of α-secretase (ADAM10) was also increased in iNPH patients. In the lumbar CSF samples, soluble TTR levels showed a significant positive correlation with sAβPPα and sAβPPβ, but TTR levels did not predict the brain pathology or the shunt response.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest differences in the expression profile of key factors involved in AD-related cellular events in the brain of iNPH patients.