The proteins and genes of Alzheimer's disease.
The discovery of beta-protein, the major component of the amyloid fibrils of the plaques and cerebral vessels and the paired helical filaments of the neurofibrillary tangles, has provided a means to decipher the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. The same lesions in aged Down syndrome individuals have also been shown to be composed of beta-protein. Gene probes localize the gene for beta-protein, as well as that for familial Alzheimer's disease, to chromosome 21. A study of post-translational modifications in the 695 amino acid beta-protein gene precursor with specific reference to abnormal proteolysis may provide insights into the causation of the amyloidotic lesions of Alzheimer's disease.
Glenner
G G
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University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, La Jolla 92093.
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D000682:Amyloid / Q000235:genetics*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D005796:Genes; D006801:Humans; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
D000682:Amyloid; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins