Analysis of the butyrylcholinesterase gene and nearby chromosome 3 markers in Alzheimer disease

Abstract

The K-variant of butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE-K) recently has been reported to be associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) in carriers of the ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene. We have re-examined the frequency of the BCHE-K allele in a large data set of both sporadic and familial cases of AD disease, and we have also examined the segregation of three genetic markers on chromosome 3 near BCHE. Our data neither support an association of BCHE-K with sporadic or familial AD, nor do they suggest the existence of another gene nearby on chromosome 3 as a common cause of familial AD.