Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

The 45th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neurology

Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease: implications from amyloid research front

Takeshi Iwatsubo, M.D.

Department of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo

Deposition of amyloid β peptides as senile plaques is a hallmark lesion of Alzheimer's disease that is implicated in its pathogenesis. Aβ is produced from amyloid precursor protein by sequential cleavages by β- and γ-secretases. γ-Secretase is a membrane protease complex harboring presenilin as a catalytic subunit. Recent studies revealed how presenilin is assembled with its cofactor proteins and acquires the γ-secretase activity: Aph-1 and nicastrin initially form a subcomplex to bind and stabilize presenilin, and then Pen-2 confers the γ-secretase activity and facilitates endoproteolysis of presenilin. Understanding the mechanism of γ-secretase cleavage will help to clarify how intercellular cell signaling through transmembrane proteins are regulated by intramembrane proteolysis, and eventually to cure Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting secretases.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 44: 768|770, 2004)
key words: Alzheimer's disease, β-amyloid, Aβ, presenilin, γ-secretase

(Received: 12-May-04)