Browsing by Author "Park, Jong-Ho"

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    PLXNA4 is associated with Alzheimer disease and modulates tau phosphorylation
    (Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons), 2014-09) Jun, Gyungah; Asai, Hirohide; Zeldich, Ella; Drapeau, Elodie; Chen, CiDi; Chung, Jaeyoon; Park, Jong-Ho; Kim, Sehwa; Haroutunian, Vahram; Foroud, Tatiana; Kuwano, Ryozo; Haines, Jonathan L.; Pericak-Vance, Margaret A.; Schellenberg, Gerard D.; Lunetta, Kathryn L.; Kim, Jong-Won; Buxbaum, Joseph D.; Mayeux, Richard; Ikezu, Tsuneya; Abraham, Carmela R.; Farrer, Lindsay A.; Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, IU School of Medicine
    OBJECTIVE: Much of the genetic basis for Alzheimer disease (AD) is unexplained. We sought to identify novel AD loci using a unique family-based approach that can detect robust associations with infrequent variants (minor allele frequency < 0.10). METHODS: We conducted a genome-wide association study in the Framingham Heart Study (discovery) and NIA-LOAD (National Institute on Aging-Late-Onset Alzheimer Disease) Study (replication) family-based cohorts using an approach that accounts for family structure and calculates a risk score for AD as the outcome. Links between the most promising gene candidate and AD pathogenesis were explored in silico as well as experimentally in cell-based models and in human brain. RESULTS: Genome-wide significant association was identified with a PLXNA4 single nucleotide polymorphism (rs277470) located in a region encoding the semaphorin-3A (SEMA3A) binding domain (meta-analysis p value [meta-P] = 4.1 × 10(-8) ). A test for association with the entire region was also significant (meta-P = 3.2 × 10(-4) ). Transfection of SH-SY5Y cells or primary rat neurons with full-length PLXNA4 (TS1) increased tau phosphorylation with stimulated by SEMA3A. The opposite effect was observed when cells were transfected with shorter isoforms (TS2 and TS3). However, transfection of any isoform into HEK293 cells stably expressing amyloid β (Aβ) precursor protein (APP) did not result in differential effects on APP processing or Aβ production. Late stage AD cases (n = 9) compared to controls (n = 5) had 1.9-fold increased expression of TS1 in cortical brain tissue (p = 1.6 × 10(-4) ). Expression of TS1 was significantly correlated with the Clinical Dementia Rating score (ρ = 0.75, p = 2.2 × 10(-4) ), plaque density (ρ = 0.56, p = 0.01), and Braak stage (ρ = 0.54, p = 0.02). INTERPRETATION: Our results indicate that PLXNA4 has a role in AD pathogenesis through isoform-specific effects on tau phosphorylation.
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    Tau pathway-based gene analysis on PET identifies CLU and FYN in a Korean cohort
    (Wiley, 2025) Yi, Dahyun; Byun, Min Soo; Park, Jong-Ho; Kim, Jong-Won; Jung, Gijung; Ahn, Hyejin; Lee, Jun-Young; Lee, Yun-Sang; Kim, Yu Kyeong; Kang, Koung Mi; Sohn, Chul-Ho; Liu, Shiwei; Huang, Yen-Ning; Saykin, Andrew J.; Lee, Dong Young; Nho, Kwangsik; KBASE research group; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine
    Introduction: The influence of genetic variation on tau protein aggregation, a key factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD), remains not fully understood. We aimed to identify novel genes associated with brain tau deposition using pathway-based candidate gene association analysis in a Korean cohort. Methods: We analyzed data for 146 older adults from the well-established Korean AD continuum cohort (Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease; KBASE). Fifteen candidate genes related to both tau pathways and AD were selected. Association analyses were performed using PLINK: A tool set for whole-genome association and population-based linkage analyses (PLINK) on tau deposition measured by 18F-AV-1451 positron emission tomography (PET) scans, with additional voxel-wise analysis conducted using Statistical Parametric Mapping 12 (SPM12). Results: CLU and FYN were significantly associated with tau deposition, with the most significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) being rs149413552 and rs57650567, respectively. These SNPs were linked to increased tau across key brain regions and showed additive effects with apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4. Discussion: CLU and FYN may play specific roles in tau pathophysiology, offering potential targets for biomarkers and therapies. Highlights: Gene-based analysis identified CLU and FYN as associated with tau deposition on positron emission tomography (PET). CLU rs149413552 and FYN rs57650567 were associated with brain tau deposition. rs149413552 and rs57650567 were associated with structural brain atrophy. CLU rs149413552 was associated with immediate verbal memory. CLU and FYN may play specific roles in tau pathophysiology.