Polymorphisms of insulin degrading enzyme gene are not associated with Alzheimer's disease

To date, allele 4 of the apolipoprotein E gene is the only risk factor that has been robustly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Identification and molecular characterization of other risk factors is of great interest. The insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) is an attractive candidate gene since: (i), previous studies have identified a possible role that IDE plays in the degradation and clearance of human amyloid beta from migroglial cells and neurons; and (ii), this gene is located on chromosome 10q23-q24, a region in which a susceptibility locus for AD has recently been mapped. In the present study, we have assessed whether IDE is a potential risk factor for AD. Two intronic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in a case-control study including 388 French individuals. No association between these SNPs and AD was detected.