The amyloid-beta precursor protein (AbetaPP) is a ubiquitously expressed transmembrane protein whose cleavage product, the amyloid-beta (Abeta) protein, is deposited in amyloid plaques in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer disease, Down syndrome, and head injury. We recently reported that this protein, normally associated with neurodegenerative conditions, is expressed by human embr...

Golgi fragmentation occurs in neurons of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the underlying molecular mechanism causing the defects and the subsequent effects on disease development remain unknown. In this study, we examined the Golgi structure in APPswe/PS1E9 transgenic mouse and tissue culture models. Our results show that accumulation of amyloid beta peptides (Aβ) leads to Golgi frag...

The β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) has been extensively studied for its role as the precursor of the β-amyloid protein (Aβ) of Alzheimer's disease. However, the normal function of APP remains largely unknown. This article reviews studies on the structure, expression and post-translational processing of APP, as well as studies on the effects of APP in vitro and in vivo. We conclude that the p...

Mutations in PSEN genes, which encode presenilin proteins, cause familial early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Transgenic mouse models based on coexpression of familial AD-associated presenilin and amyloid precursor protein variants successfully mimic characteristic pathological features of AD, including plaque formation, synaptic dysfunction, and loss of memory. Presenilins function as the ca...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a disorder of two pathologies- plaques and tangles. The former have as a key constituent amyloid protein and the latter the microtubule-associaied protein tau. Genetics has demonstrated that changes in either protein are sufficient to cause dementia. The amyloid cascade hypothesis proposes that plaque-related changes precede tangle-related changes and positions amylo...