rs9331888

This comprehensive genome-wide association study examined genetic variants contributing to late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) in 513 African American cases and 496 controls, plus replication in 5 white cohorts. The APOE ε4 allele showed strong association (P=9.69×10⁻²³), and after adjusting for APOE, rs6859 in PVRL2 remained significantly associated (P=0.0087). The study found associations with variants in CLU, PICALM, BIN1, EPHA1, MS4A, ABCA7, and CD33, though effect directions sometimes differed from white populations. Novel associations with suggestive evidence were identified in PROX1, CNTNAP2, STK24, and other genes, though not replicated in whites.

This meta-analysis of 7,070 Alzheimer's disease cases and 8,169 cognitively normal elderly controls from 12 independent cohorts confirms that variants in CR1, CLU, and PICALM are AD risk loci in European ancestry populations (CLU rs11136000 OR=0.91, CR1 rs3818361 OR=1.14, PICALM rs3851179 OR=0.89). The study reveals a synergistic interaction between PICALM and APOE ε4, with PICALM association predominantly observed in APOE ε4-positive subjects.