Biomedical subjects

Khine Zin Aung

Publications and source records attributed to Khine Zin Aung.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

GRN rs5848 variant associates with TDP-43 pathology and cancer in opposite directions.

Epidemiologic studies have reported that cancer survivors have a relatively low risk of developing dementia, but the mechanisms underlying that inverse relationship are mostly unknown. The Granulin (GRN) gene single nucleotide variant rs5848 T allele is associated with increased risk of limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathologic change (LATE-NC) and hippocampal sclerosis of aging (HS-Aging). The T allele is also associated with lower expression of the cognate protein progranulin (PGRN), which is a mitogen implicated in neoplasia. We examined whether the rs5848 variant associated with LATE-NC/HS-Aging pathology and cancer in the same cohort. This study leveraged genotype data from the Alzheimer's Disease Genomics Consortium (n = 8121) and the Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project (n = 3231), with cancer history and neuropathology data drawn from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center. The rs5848 T allele was associated with higher odds of LATE-NC (p < 0.001) and was also associated with lower odds of cancer (p = 0.012). Established TMEM106B, APOE, and BIN1 risk alleles for Alzheimer's disease showed no associations with cancer, implying that the GRN-related associations could not be completely explained by selection bias in the study sample. The finding of a specific allele with opposite correlative impact on cancer risk and dementia-related pathology has potential therapeutic implications.

Humans↗

PubMed2024

Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE-NC): Co-pathologies and genetic risk factors provide clues about pathogenesis.

Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathologic change (LATE-NC) is detectable at autopsy in more than one-third of people beyond age 85 years and is robustly associated with dementia independent of other pathologies. Although LATE-NC has a large impact on public health, there remain uncertainties about the underlying biologic mechanisms. Here, we review the literature from human studies that may shed light on pathogenetic mechanisms. It is increasingly clear that certain combinations of pathologic changes tend to coexist in aging brains. Although "pure" LATE-NC is not rare, LATE-NC often coexists in the same brains with Alzheimer disease neuropathologic change, brain arteriolosclerosis, hippocampal sclerosis of aging, and/or age-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG). The patterns of pathologic comorbidities provide circumstantial evidence of mechanistic interactions ("synergies") between the pathologies, and also suggest common upstream influences. As to primary mediators of vulnerability to neuropathologic changes, genetics may play key roles. Genes associated with LATE-NC include TMEM106B, GRN, APOE, SORL1, ABCC9, and others. Although the anatomic distribution of TDP-43 pathology defines the condition, important cofactors for LATE-NC may include Tau pathology, endolysosomal pathways, and blood-brain barrier dysfunction. A review of the human phenomenology offers insights into disease-driving mechanisms, and may provide clues for diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

Humans↗