Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

The 47th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neurology

β- and γ-secretases

Takeshi Iwatsubo, M.D.

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

Deposition of amyloid β peptides (Aβ) as amyloid deposits characterizes the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mutations in presenilin genes linked to familial AD (FAD) have been shown to increase production of Aβ42, an initially and predominantly depositing Aβ species in all types of AD. PS has been shown to serve as the catalytic center for the γ-secretase cleavage of a subset of single-pass membrane proteins including β-amyloid precursor protein and Notch. γ-Secretase inhibitors, including γ42-selective inhibitors like NSAIDs, are emerging therapeutic agents for AD. Also, an establishment of a method to monitor the progression of AD using imaging and biochemical surrogate markers would be vital to the evaluation of the effects of disease-modifying drugs for AD. In this regard, a large-scale observation study, like the AD neuroimaging initiative (ADNI), should be conducted in Japan.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 46: 925|926, 2006)
key words: Alzheimer's disease, Aβ, γ-secretase

(Received: 12-May-06)