The Role of DYRK1A Kinase in Alzheimer’s Disease Microglia Differences

Project Summary

Down syndrome is a genetic condition, caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21, and is associated with a greatly increased risk of developing early-onset dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease. Recent research has demonstrated the brain’s immune response to Alzheimer’s disease pathology differs in people who have Down syndrome and that this may contribute to the development of dementia. Our data indicate that the chromosome 21 gene, DYRK1A may contribute to this; here we propose to test this hypothesis in a new cellular model of Alzheimer’s disease in the context of trisomy of chromosome 21.