Alzheimer's alpha-secretase may be a calcium-dependent protease.
Proteolytic processing of beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) is believed to be fundamental to the understanding of Alzheimer's disease. The identities and the regulatory elements of the proteases involved in the process, known as alpha/beta/gamma secretases, are unclear. In this study, by examining reported data, we found some indications suggesting that the putative alpha-secretase may be a calcium-dependent protease, and that this enzyme may play a primary role in the regulation of APP processing. Based on this, we proposed a model for the membrane orientations of the secretases for further discussions.
Chen
M
M
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa 33612, USA. michen@com1.med.usf.edu
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000201:enzymology*; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000378:metabolism*; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000201:enzymology; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational
D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; D010450:Endopeptidases; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; C509280:BACE1 protein, human; D002118:Calcium