Protein kinase C as a peripheral biomarker for Alzheimer's disease

Numerous studies have been performed, which assess an important role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the physiopathology of Alzheimer disease (AD). The alteration of PKC activity stimulates amyloid-beta peptides production and protein tau hyperphosphorylation. This recently led to consider PKC as a potential therapeutic target for disease modifying drugs. Moreover PKC alterations were also observed in peripheral cells including blood cells. This short review recalls the main findings on the role of PKC in the disease process and focuses on its use as an AD biomarker in blood cells. Using fluorescent probes specific for PKC, it is possible to detect the conformational changes of the enzyme in living cells. Such probes can be used to detect PKC alterations in red blood cells and thus to distinguish AD patients from healthy controls with unmatched specificity and sensitivity. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.