Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27872486›Full record

ArticleMolecular psychiatry2017

Alpha-2 macroglobulin in Alzheimer's disease: a marker of neuronal injury through the RCAN1 pathway.

V R Varma, S Varma, Y An, T J Hohman, S Seddighi, R Casanova, A Beri, E B Dammer, N T Seyfried, O Pletnikova and 8 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular psychiatry, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
82citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
7.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

82 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 141 citations in OpenAlex.

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  7. Intracellular Signaling Regulated by Activated αInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
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22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

V R VarmaClinical and Translational Neuroscience Unit, Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Baltimore, MD, USA.
S VarmaHiThru Analytics, Laurel, MD, USA.
Y AnClinical and Translational Neuroscience Unit, Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3377-7014
T J HohmanDepartment of Neurology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
S SeddighiClinical and Translational Neuroscience Unit, Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Baltimore, MD, USA.
R CasanovaDepartment of Biostatistical Science, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
A BeriLaboratory of Informatics Development (BTRIS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA.
E B DammerDepartment of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
N T SeyfriedDepartment of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
O PletnikovaDepartment of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
A MoghekarDepartment of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
M R WilsonSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
J J LahDepartment of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
R J O'BrienDepartment of Neurology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
A I LeveyDepartment of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
J C TroncosoDepartment of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
M S AlbertDepartment of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
M ThambisettyClinical and Translational Neuroscience Unit, Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Baltimore, MD, USA.
National Institutes of Health · USEmory University · USJohns Hopkins University · USDuke University · USUniversity of Wollongong · AUVanderbilt University · USWake Forest University · US

Funding

Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative - SupplementU01AG024904 · NIA · NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE RES &EDUC · PI WEINER, MICHAEL W · 2004 to 2015
$121.0M
Project 2 MeasurementU19AG033655 · NIA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Abhay Moghekar · 2014 to 2026
$51.5M
'T V ASSESSMENT - MEMORY DISORDERED PATIENTS'P50AG005146 · NIA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI LYKETSOS, CONSTANTINE G · 1985 to 2019
$37.6M
Understanding mechanisms and seeking novel biomarkers in Alzheimer's diseaseZIAAG000200 · NIA · NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING · PI RESNICK, SUSAN · 2013 to 2024
$12.2M
LIMBIC &MEDULLARY MECH. IN COCAINE-RELATED SUDDEN DEATHR01DA006227 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI MASH, DEBORAH C. · 1990 to 2012
$3.7M
Epigenetic Marks of Cocaine AddictionR01DA033684 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI MASH, DEBORAH C., TURECKI, GUSTAVO · 2011 to 2015
$3.6M
Methods for high-resolution analysis of genetic effects on gene expressionR01MH101814 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA · PI BUSTAMANTE, CARLOS DANIEL, DERMITZAKIS, EMMANOUIL · 2013 to 2016
$2.3M
Harnessing GTEx to Create Transcriptome Knowledge and Inform Disease BiologyR01MH101820 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · PI COX, NANCY J, NICOLAE, DAN LIVIU · 2013 to 2015
$2.3M
Identification and validation of cell specific eQTLs by Bayesian modelingR01MH101822 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI BROWN, CHRISTOPHER DAVID, ENGELHARDT, BARBARA · 2013 to 2016
$1.9M
Genetic Regulation of Gene Expression and its Impact on Phenotypes - SupplementR01MH101782 · NIMH · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI SABATTI, CHIARA · 2013 to 2016
$1.3M
MODELING THE EFFECTS OF STRUCTURAL VARIATION IN GTEX DATA AND MENDELIAN DISEASER01MH101810 · NIMH · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI CONRAD, DONALD F. · 2013 to 2016
$1.3M
Systems approaches to link tissue-specific expression to diseaseR01MH101819 · NIMH · NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY RALEIGH · PI NOBEL, ANDREW B, WRIGHT, FRED A. · 2013 to 2015
$1.3M
CCR NIH HHS HHSN261200800001CCIHRIntramural NIH HHS Z99 AG999999NCI NIH HHS HHSN261200800001ENHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201000029CNIA NIH HHS K01 AG049164NIA NIH HHS P50 AG005146NIA NIH HHS U01 AG024904NIA NIH HHS U19 AG033655NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA006227NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA033684NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH090936NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH090937NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH090941NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH090948NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH090951NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH101782NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH101810NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH101814NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH101819NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH101820NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH101822NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH101825
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Preclinical changes that precede the onset of symptoms and eventual diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are a target for potential preventive interventions. A large body of evidence suggests that inflammation is closely associated with AD pathogenesis and may be a promising target pathway for such interventions. However, little is known about the association between systemic inflammation and preclinical AD pathophysiology. We first examined whether the acute-phase protein, alpha-2 macroglobulin (A2M), a major component of the innate immune system, was associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers of neuronal injury in preclinical AD and risk of incident AD in the predictors of cognitive decline among normal individuals (BIOCARD) cohort. We find that A2M concentration in blood is significantly associated with CSF concentrations of the neuronal injury markers, tau and phosphorylated tau, and that higher baseline serum A2M concentration is associated with an almost threefold greater risk of progression to clinical symptoms of AD in men. These findings were replicated in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging (ADNI) study. Then, utilizing a systems level approach combining large multi-tissue gene expression datasets with mass spectrometry-based proteomic analyses of brain tissue, we identified an A2M gene network that includes regulator of calcineurin (RCAN1), an inhibitor of calcineurin, a well-characterized tau phosphatase. A2M gene and protein expression in the brain were significantly associated with gene and protein expression levels of calcineurin. Collectively these novel findings suggest that A2M is associated with preclinical AD, reflects early neuronal injury in the disease course and may be responsive to tau phosphorylation in the brain through the RCAN1-calcineurin pathway.

Indexed as

Agedalpha-MacroglobulinsAlzheimer DiseaseAmyloid beta-PeptidesApolipoprotein E4BiomarkersBrainCalcineurinCognitionCognition DisordersCohort StudiesDisease ProgressionDNA-Binding ProteinsFemaleGene Expression RegulationHumansalpha-MacroglobulinsAmyloid beta-PeptidesApolipoprotein E4BiomarkersCalcineurinDNA-Binding ProteinsIntracellular Signaling Peptides and ProteinsMuscle ProteinsRCAN1 protein, humantau Proteins

Identifiers

PMID27872486
PMCPMC5726508
OpenAlexW2554018612

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.