Inheritance of an extra copy of the gene- β -amyloid precursor protein, APP, in individuals with Down syndrome leads to the inevitable development of early onset Alzheimer's disease, known to be linked to the deposition of Amyloid β peptide or Aβ in the brain. However, a new study published online by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identifies βCTF, a small protein found in APP, as a novel factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease related endosome abnormalities, which have also been tied previously to the loss of brain cells in Alzheimer's disease.
In their study, using the cells from individuals with Down syndrome that are genetically predisposed to developing Alzheimer's disease, the researchers showed that elevated levels of ßCTF, independent of Aß, cause a specific pattern of endosome defects with similar pathology of brain cells in Alzheimer's disease. As per the claim by Dr. Ying Jiang, (Department of Psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center. they were successfully able to pinpoint that ßCTF causes Alzheimer's disease-related endosome defects and successfully reverse these endosome defects by lowering ßCTF levels in the cells. Hope this study demonstrating an alternative protein factor, ßCTF, derived from the gene APP, is also unequivocally involved in Alzheimer's disease and may be of additional importance for the development of future effective therapies in the days to come...
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