Methionine synthase polymorphism is a risk factor for Alzheimer disease.

Alzheimer disease (AD) patients show increased plasma levels of homocysteine, whose conversion to methionine is catalyzed by methionine synthase (MS). Although altered MS activity may result from the MS A2756G polymorphism, the latter's possible association with AD remains unexplored. To assess whether the MS A2756G polymorphism holds any influence on AD risk, we have analyzed 172 AD patients and 166 controls. We have also investigated whether the MS-A or MS-G allele interacts with the APOE4 allele. Our results indicate that association with the MS-AA genotype is an APOE4 allele-independent risk factor for AD.These findings provide novel evidence implicating genetic enzymatic alterations of homocysteine metabolic pathways in the pathogenesis of AD.