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Updated: Apr 17, 2026

Imaging the Intracellular Trafficking of APP with Photoactivatable GFP
Published on: October 17, 2015
Cellular functions of the amyloid precursor protein from development to dementia
Rik van der Kant1, Lawrence S B Goldstein1
1Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Abstract:
Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a key player in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Aβ fragments of APP are the major constituent of AD-associated amyloid plaques, and mutations or duplications of the gene coding for APP can cause familial AD. Here we review the roles of APP in neuronal development, signaling, intracellular transport, and other aspects of neuronal homeostasis. We suggest that APP acts as a signaling nexus that transduces information about a range of extracellular conditions, including neuronal damage, to induction of intracellular signaling events. Subtle disruptions of APP signaling functions may be major contributors to AD-causing neuronal dysfunction.
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