Expression analysis of beta-secretase 1 (BACE1) and its naturally occurring antisense (BACE1-AS) in blood of epileptic patients.

Beta-secretase 1 (BACE1) gene encodes a transmembrane protease from the peptidase A1 family of aspartic proteases whose role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease has been assessed. The enzymatic activity of BACE1 on several proteins implicated in epileptogenesis implies its role in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. In the present study, we assessed expression of BACE1 and its naturally occurring antisense (BACE1-AS) in peripheral blood of 40 epileptic patients and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. We did not detect either any difference in the expression of these genes between cases and controls or significant correlation between their expressions and participants' age. However, we demonstrated a significant correlation between expression levels of BACE1 and BACE1-AS which supports the previously suggested feed-forward mechanism of regulation between these two transcripts. Future studies in larger sample sizes are needed to elaborate the function of BACE1 in epilepsy.