Physiology and pharmacology of amyloid precursor protein

Yoonsuk Cho, Han Gyu Bae, Eitan Okun, Thiruma V. Arumugam, Dong Gyu Jo

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

56 Scopus citations

Abstract

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is an evolutionarily conserved transmembrane protein and a well-characterized precursor protein of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides, which accumulate in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related pathologies. Aβ has been extensively investigated since the amyloid hypothesis in AD was proposed. Besides Aβ, previous studies on APP and its proteolytic cleavage products have suggested their diverse pathological and physiological functions. However, their roles still have not been thoroughly understood. In this review, we extensively discuss the evolutionarily-conserved biology of APP, including its structure and processing pathway, as well as recent findings on the physiological roles of APP and its fragments in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. We have also elaborated upon the current status of APP-targeted therapeutic approaches for AD treatment by discussing inhibitors of several proteases participating in APP processing, including α-, β-, and γ-secretases. Finally, we have highlighted the future perspectives pertaining to further research and the potential clinical role of APP.

Original languageEnglish
Article number108122
JournalPharmacology and Therapeutics
Volume235
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022

Funding

This work was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) , the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Republic of Korea ( NRF-2019R1A2C3011422 , NRF-2018M3C7A1021851 , and NRF-2019R1A5A2027340 ). This work was also supported by a grant from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ R&D project, Korea ( 2021633 ).

FundersFunder number
Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ R&D project, Korea2021633
National Research Foundation of Korea
Ministry of Education, Science and TechnologyNRF-2018M3C7A1021851, NRF-2019R1A2C3011422, NRF-2019R1A5A2027340

    Keywords

    • APP intracellular domain
    • Alzheimer's disease
    • Amyloid precursor protein
    • Soluble APPα

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