Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Label-Free Imaging of Lipid Storage Dynamics in Caenorhabditis elegans using Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy
Published on: May 28, 2021
Amyloid beta as a regulator of lipid homeostasis
Marcus O W Grimm1, Heike S Grimm, Tobias Hartmann
1Universität des Saarlandes, Kirrberger Str. 61.4, D-66421 Homburg, Germany.
Abstract:
The beta-amyloid peptide (A beta) is widely considered to be the molecule that causes Alzheimer's disease (AD). Besides this pathological function of A beta, recently published data reveal that A beta also has an essential physiological role in lipid homeostasis. Cholesterol increases A beta production, and conversely A beta production causes a decrease in cholesterol synthesis. The latter appears to be mediated by the inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR), a key enzyme in cholesterol synthesis, in an action similar to that of statins. Moreover, A beta regulates sphingolipid metabolism by directly activating sphingomyelinases (SMases). This review summarizes the molecular basis for the known physiological functions of A beta and amyloid precursor protein (APP), the roles of A beta and APP in lipid homeostasis and the medical implications of addressing lipid homeostasis in respect to AD. This knowledge might provide new insights for current and future therapeutic approaches to AD.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Lipid Metabolism
Lipolysis: The Breakdown of Lipids:
Lipolysis is the process of breaking down lipids, particularly triglycerides, into glycerol and fatty acids. This process typically occurs in the adipose tissue and is triggered by various hormones, including glucagon and...
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Lipid Catabolism
Cholesterol: Significance and Regulation
Considering cholesterol and...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase
Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters
Flippase
Eukaryotic flippases are type-IV P-type ATPases or P4-ATPases belonging to P-type ATPase family proteins that are membrane-bound pumps involved in the ATP-mediated transport of ions and molecules across the membrane. Flippases flip specific phospholipids from the outer to the inner leaflet of a membrane. All P4-ATPases have one...
