Controlling neural stem cell division within the adult subventricular zone: an APPealing job.
For years, scientists investigating amyloid precursor protein (APP) have focused on its pathogenetic role in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. Now, a study by Caille et al. adds new sites of action and new physiological functions for APP. They show that there are binding sites for secreted N-terminal nonamyloidogenic APP (sAPP) on epidermal growth factor (EGF)-responsive neural stem cells in the subventricular zone of the adult brain, where sAPP acts as an EGF cofactor to stimulate proliferation of these cells. This result opens the hypothesis that changes in the levels of sAPP could influence activity of the neurogenic regions of the adult brain in normal and pathological conditions.
Conti
Luciano
L
Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milan, Italy. luciano.conti@unimi.it
Cattaneo
Elena
E
D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*
D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; D010450:Endopeptidases; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; C509280:BACE1 protein, human