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Updated: May 7, 2026

Imaging the Intracellular Trafficking of APP with Photoactivatable GFP
Published on: October 17, 2015
The role of APP and BACE1 trafficking in APP processing and amyloid-β generation
1Townsend Family Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, Brain Research Center, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of British Columbia, 2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Abstract:
Neuritic plaques in the brain are a major neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. They are formed by the deposition and aggregation of extracellular amyloid-β protein (Aβ). Aβ is derived from the sequential cleavage of amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) by β-secretase and γ-secretase. β-Site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) functions as the primary, if not sole, β-secretase in vivo and is essential for Aβ production. Regulation of APP processing is a major focus of research into AD pathogenesis. The trafficking systems of APP and its cleavage enzymes are complex. Transporting APP and secretases into the same subcellular organelles facilitates their interaction and favors APP processing. The role of APP and BACE1 trafficking in the amyloidgenic pathway and the underlying mechanisms for Aβ production are discussed in this review. In addition, the distinct mechanisms of amino- and carboxy-terminal Aβ generation are reviewed.
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