Polymorphisms at the β2-adrenergic receptor gene influence Alzheimer's disease susceptibility

Increasing evidence indicates that the β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) may play an important role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the effect of two polymorphisms in the β2-AR gene: Gly16Arg and Gln27Glu for the risk of sporadic Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD) in 109 patients and 109 healthy controls matched for sex and age in a Han Chinese population. Results revealed that both the 16Gly allele and the 27Glu allele of the β2-AR gene were associated with an increased risk of LOAD (P = 0.009, OR = 1.652 and P = 0.002, OR = 2.846, respectively), and they also showed a highly significant interaction with the Apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) ε4 allele (OR = 4.200 and 9.441, respectively). Examination of the haplotypes identified the Gly16Glu27 haplotype to increase the risk of LOAD (P = 0.004). Our results suggest that variations in the β2-AR gene play an important role in the pathogenesis of sporadic LOAD, and interact with the ε4 allele to markedly increase the LOAD risk.