title: Presenilin structure, function and role in Alzheimer disease.
abstract: Numerous missense mutations in the presenilins are associated with the autosomal dominant form of familial Alzheimer disease. Presenilin genes encode polytopic transmembrane proteins, which are processed by proteolytic cleavage and form high-molecular-weight complexes under physiological conditions. The presenilins have been suggested to be functionally involved in developmental morphogenesis, unfolded protein responses and processing of selected proteins including the beta-amyloid precursor protein. Although the underlying mechanism by which presenilin mutations lead to development of Alzheimer disease remains elusive, one consistent mutational effect is an overproduction of long-tailed amyloid beta-peptides. Furthermore, presenilins interact with beta-catenin to form presenilin complexes, and the physiological and mutational effects are also observed in the catenin signal transduction pathway.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Ont, Canada. paul.fraser@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lévesque
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arawaka
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Serpell
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rogaeva
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: St George-Hyslop
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D053764:Presenilin-1; D053766:Presenilin-2; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C508853:PSEN1 protein, human; C508861:PSEN2 protein, human; D053764:Presenilin-1; D053766:Presenilin-2; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin