beta-amyloid: friend or foe.
The function of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its product, beta-amyloid, (Abeta) is at present unknown. The deposition of Abeta in senile plaques as well as meningeal and cerebral vessels has led many researchers to discount the possibility of a beneficial protective function for the protein. Thus it is generally believed that the aberrant processing of APP leads to increased beta-amyloid secretion that in turn leads to subsequent plaque formation and Alzheimer's disease. Here, a hypothesis is presented that the protein may indeed be protective and that a potential role for beta amyloid in innate immunity may exist.
Campbell
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Department of Community & Environmental Medicine, University of California, CA, USA. aghadimi@uci.edu
D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008959:Models, Neurological; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000473:pathology
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor