[Proteins with frameshift mutations in Alzheimer's disease; cause or effect?].

In a recent paper in Science, a novel finding was presented on Alzheimer's disease. The authors describe mutant proteins, brought about by a change in the mRNA reading frame. These so-called +I proteins appear to be associated with neuropathological changes in Alzheimer's disease brains. Two proteins involved in the pathogenesis of the disease were studied: beta-amyloid precursor protein en ubiquitin-B. For both proteins, a deletion of two bases in a small percentage of the mRNAs caused the frame shift. Possible mechanisms and implications are discussed.