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Alzheimer's disease

From big data to mechanism

Nature volume 500, pages 34–35 (2013)Cite this article

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An Addendum to this article was published on 24 June 2015

The gene variant APOE4 is the most common genetic risk factor associated with late-onset Alzheimer's disease. A comprehensive, multilayer study reveals the molecular and cellular signatures of APOE4 in humans. See Article p.45

Alzheimer's disease is a genetically complex neurodegenerative condition typically associated with ageing. Reporting in this issue, Rhinn et al.1 (page 45) use an integrative genomic approach based on analysis of transcriptional networks in human brain to uncover new relationships between this disorder, ageing, and the gene apolipoprotein E, or APOE, shedding light on molecular mechanisms that connect this gene to the processing and transport of amyloid precursor protein — considered to be a primary effector of the disease. To validate their hypotheses, the authors follow bioinformatic analyses with multiple levels of experimentation, impressively demonstrating the power of network biologyFootnote 1.

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Notes

  1. *This article and the paper under discussion1 were published online on 24 July 2013.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vivek Swarup is in the Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1761, USA.,

    Vivek Swarup

  2. Daniel H. Geschwind is in the Department of Neurology and the Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1761, USA.,

    Daniel H. Geschwind

Authors
  1. Vivek Swarup
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  2. Daniel H. Geschwind
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Correspondence to Daniel H. Geschwind.

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Swarup, V., Geschwind, D. From big data to mechanism. Nature 500, 34–35 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12457

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