Clinical utility of plasma APOE proteotyping for Alzheimer’s disease risk and prognosis
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Background
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder strongly influenced by genetic factors, with apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele being the most established risk variant. Although DNA-based genotyping remains standard, plasma proteotyping may provide scalable, isoform-specific alternatives. Here, we aimed to investigate the clinical utility of APOE proteotyping as a surrogate for genotyping in different clinical and research cohorts.
Methods
Plasma APOE4 protein were quantified using the NULISAseq CNS panel across four cohorts (ADRC, HeartSCORE, LATTICE, and ALPS). DNA-based APOE genotyping was the reference standard. Proteotyping thresholds for APOE ε4 carrier status and copy number were derived in ADRC and externally validated in the other cohorts. Logistic, proportional-odds, and Cox proportional-hazards models compared genotype- and proteotype-defined groups in relation to amyloid positivity, cross-sectional CDR global scores, and time to CDR-SB worsening, respectively.
Results
Plasma APOE4 accurately classified APOE ε4 carrier status in ADRC (AUC=0.977, 95%CI 0.967-0.985; threshold 5.78 NULISA protein quantification [NPQ] value) and achieved near-perfect external validation in HeartSCORE, LATTICE, and ALPS (all AUCs=1.000, 95%CI 1.000-1.000). Plasma APOE4 also well-differentiated heterozygous from homozygous ε4 carriers (ADRC AUC=0.879, 95%CI 0.834-0.921; threshold 12.23 NPQ value). Genotype- and proteotype-defined ε4 carrier status showed similar associations with amyloid positivity (OR=4.40 vs 4.45), higher CDR global scores (OR=1.50 for both), and CDR-SB worsening (HR=1.22 for both).
Discussion
Plasma APOE4 proteotyping accurately distinguished genotype-defined APOE ε4 carrier status and copy number while demonstrating AD-related associations comparable to DNA genotyping.
