Association of CCR2 Gene but not CCR5 Gene Polymorphisms with Alzheimer's Disease

Chemokines participate in the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses by interacting with their specific receptors on related immune and inflammatory cells such as B-lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells. Chemokines and their receptors are therefore considered to mediate inflammation and tissue damage in autoimmune disorders. The recent studies have revealed the genotypes of chemokine receptors (CCR) and their related polymorphisms in a number of autoimmune and infectious diseases. We used the polymorphic DNA markers (CCR2-64I) and (CCR5 Delta 32) to study the association of CCR2 and CCR5 gene mutations with Late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) and the relation between clinical features and genotypes in affected individuals. A total of 160 patient samples and 163 healthy controls from west northern Iran (Eastern Azerbaijan) were genotyped for the two polymorphisms by the PCR-RFLP method and genotype frequencies were statistically determined. No significant linkage was determined between CCR5 Delta 32 and the disease of interest. However the gene CCR2 was appeared to be significantly linked to the disease, as it could be concluded from statistical analysis.