The impact of GAB2 genetic variations on cerebrospinal fluid markers in Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Background: Growth factor receptor-bound protein-associated binding protein 2 gene (GAB2) has been regarded as one of the susceptibility gene associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the role of GAB2 polymorphisms on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteins in AD continuum remains unclear. Methods: We evaluated the connection between four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of GAB2 and AD-related CSF biomarkers including amyloid beta (Abeta), total tau (T-tau) and phosphorylated tau (P-tau) level in 627 Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) subjects. Results: rs1385600 and rs1007837 were significantly associated with all the three biomarkers in CSF (rs1385600: Abeta Pc =0.0112, T-tau Pc =0.0356, P-tau Pc =0.0116; rs1007837: Abeta Pc =0.0058, T-tau Pc =0.0278, P-tau Pc =0.0231). rs2373115 only showed significant association with Abeta and P-tau (Abeta, Pc=0.0398, P-tau, Pc=0.0329). rs10793294 showed no significant association with all the three biomarkers. Conclusions: Our study suggested that GAB2 variants were significantly associated with the level of the three CSF biomarkers, which further supported that GAB2 genetic variation modulates AD risk via the alteration of both Abeta and tau pathology.