Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Imaging the Intracellular Trafficking of APP with Photoactivatable GFP
Published on: October 17, 2015
Alzheimer's disease: channeling APP to non-amyloidogenic processing
1Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, 8 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Singapore. bchtbl@nus.edu.sg
Abstract:
A good number of pharmacologic agents have over the years been touted as potentially beneficial in either preventing the onset or delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease. These include compounds such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins)) and flavonoids. The underlying mechanisms for the beneficial effect of these agents are by and large attributed to their ability to reduce beta-amyloid (Abeta) production and amyloid load in the brain, via inhibition of amyloidogenic gamma-secretase activity. Recent reports have now provided mechanistic insights as to how non-amyloidogenic processing might also be enhanced by these seemingly unrelated treatments. Intriguingly, this appears to involve the inhibition of the activity of small GTPase Rho and its effector, the Rho-associated kinase, ROCK. Dietary caloric restriction (CR) also enhances non-amyloidogenic processing of APP, and this may be part of a more general anti-aging effect of CR mediated by gene expression changes downstream of the activity of the histone deacetylase SIRT1.
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...

