Albumin gene encoding free fatty acid and β‐amyloid transporter is genetically associated with Alzheimer disease

Abstract  Alzheimer disease (AD), the major cause of dementia in the elderly, is characterized by β-amyloid deposition in senile plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau in neurofibrillary tangles. Since albumin, binding and transporting free fatty acids is also the major transporter of β-amyloid, we examined the association between the albumin (ALB) gene and the occurrence of late-onset AD (LOAD). We found that the allele distribution of the intron 4 microsatellite of the ALB gene showed a significant difference (P < 0.05) between LOAD (n = 285) and control group (n = 656). An allele with 11 CA repeat, termed (CA)11 allele, was significantly predominant in the control group (P < 0.005), and the odds ratio carrying the (CA)11 allele was 0.43 (P < 0.01, 95% CI = 0.24–0.79). Logistic regression indicated that this effect was independent of age and the ɛ4 dose of the apolipoprotein E gene (P < 0.01), while the ALB gene was supposed to be related to aging. Our results indicate that the ALB gene is genetically related with the occurrence of LOAD, supporting the link between fatty acid and β-amyloid transport in the development of LOAD.