Poirier J, Minnich A, Davignon J
Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Ann Med. 1995 Dec;27(6):663-70. doi: 10.3109/07853899509019253.
Apolipoprotein E (apoE) has been studied extensively with regard to its role in plasma lipoprotein lipid transport. A role for apoE in the transport of membrane cholesterol and phospholipid in the central and peripheral nervous system has also been studied. Entorhinal cortex-lesioned rats have been used extensively to examine the molecular mechanisms associated with deafferentation and reinnervation in the CNS; studies of the role of apoE in this process using this animal model are described. In all human populations examined, three common apoE isoforms, apoE2, apoE3 and apoE4, result from multiple alleles epsilon 2, epsilon 3 and epsilon 4 at a single apoE genetic locus. These isoforms impart well-characterized functional differences in plasma lipoprotein transport, which are reviewed herein. Also discussed are less well-studied possible apoE-isoform specific differences in central nervous system function. These are currently of critical importance due to numerous recent studies showing an association of epsilon 4 with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. Diverse hypotheses as to the molecular basis for this association, as well as the supporting experimental evidence, are reviewed.
载脂蛋白E（apoE）在血浆脂蛋白脂质转运中的作用已得到广泛研究。apoE在中枢和外周神经系统中膜胆固醇和磷脂转运方面的作用也已被研究。内嗅皮质损伤的大鼠已被广泛用于研究中枢神经系统中与去传入神经和再支配相关的分子机制；本文描述了使用该动物模型对apoE在此过程中的作用的研究。在所有检测的人群中，三种常见的apoE异构体，即apoE2、apoE3和apoE4，是由位于单个apoE基因位点的多个等位基因ε2、ε3和ε4产生的。这些异构体在血浆脂蛋白转运中具有特征明确的功能差异，本文对此进行了综述。还讨论了在中枢神经系统功能中研究较少的可能的apoE异构体特异性差异。由于最近大量研究表明ε4与阿尔茨海默病风险增加有关，这些差异目前至关重要。本文综述了关于这种关联的分子基础的各种假设以及支持性实验证据。
