People of European ancestry with APOE4 gene variants have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than people of African descent with similar genetics.
Researchers from the Hussman Institute for Human Genomics at the University of Miami have shown that this higher APOE4 expression in people with European ancestry may be due to differences in how DNA is packaged – chromatin accessibility.
Publishing their results in Alzheimer's & Dementia, the scientists show that a person's Alzheimer's disease risk from APOE4 may depend on the ancestry surrounding it. Clinicians may need to understand a patient's ancestral profile before assessing the risks associated with their APOE4 status.
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