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Erythrocyte thiolmethyltransferase: another failed marker for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases
A Hurwitz1, J P Hubble, S L Glatt
1Department of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160-7320, USA.
Abstract:
There are reports that patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) have reduced levels of thiolmethyltransferase (TMT) in erythrocyte membranes. TMT methylates thiols and thiocarbamates, thereby reducing their toxicity. We examined TMT levels in erythrocytes from patients with PD and AD and from age-matched controls. Specific activities of TMT were 564 +/- 199 U/mg protein in PD (n = 32), 513 +/- 118 in AD (n = 13), and 565 +/- 183 in controls (n = 35). There was no difference between any of the groups (p = 0.64). We failed to confirm TMT as a marker for neurodegenerative diseases or for this metabolic defect predisposing to susceptibility to neurotoxins.