Monoclonal antibody against the polymorphic site distinguishes apolipoprotein E4 from other isoforms.

Apolipoprotein E4 has been confirmed as a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Although several hypotheses have been advanced to explain how the inheritance of apolipoprotein E isoforms affects the rate of Alzheimer's disease expression, the mechanism whereby apolipoprotein E is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is still uncertain. To clarify the way in which the apolipoprotein E4 isoform differs from the others, we generated a monoclonal antibody specifically reactive with the apolipoprotein E4 isoform. This antibody suggests that the polymorphic site is important in differentiating the ApoE4 isoform from others.