No association between DLST gene and Alzheimer's disease or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

Among many candidate genes for the genetically heterogeneous Alzheimer's di sease (AD), only apolipoprotein E (ApoE) has been confirmed. Another candid ate is the dihydrolipoyl succinyltransferase (DLST) gene, one of three comp onents of thiamine-dependent mitochondrial a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase co mplex (KGDHC). because KGDHC activity is reported reduced in AD patients. A lso characterized by reduced KGDHC activity is another neuropsychiatric dis ease. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS). which results from thiamine defici ency. Examination of specific DLST gene polymorphism in 247 Japanese AD pat ients. 53 alcoholic WKS patients, and 368 nondemented Japanese control subj ects revealed no significant differences in DLST genotypes and failed to re plicate the findings of earlier studies indicating an association between D LST gene polymorphism and AD.