title: Physiological functions of APP family proteins.
abstract: Biochemical and genetic evidence establishes a central role of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) in Alzheimer disease (AD) pathogenesis. Biochemically, deposition of the β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides produced from proteolytic processing of APP forms the defining pathological hallmark of AD; genetically, both point mutations and duplications of wild-type APP are linked to a subset of early onset of familial AD (FAD) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. As such, the biological functions of APP and its processing products have been the subject of intense investigation, and the past 20+ years of research have met with both excitement and challenges. This article will review the current understanding of the physiological functions of APP in the context of APP family members.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Heidelberg, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany. u.mueller@urz.uni-hd.de
authors.forename: Ulrike C
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D001370:Axonal Transport / Q000502:physiology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018095:Germ-Line Mutation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000503:physiopathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor