The proteins and genes of Alzheimer's disease

The discovery of beta-protein, the major component of the amyloid fibrils of the plaques and cerebral vessels and the paired helical filaments of the neurofibrillary tangles, has provided a means to decipher the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. The same lesions in aged Down syndrome individuals have also been shown to be composed of beta-protein. Gene probes localize the gene for beta-protein, as well as that for familial Alzheimer's disease, to chromosome 21. A study of post-translational modifications in the 695 amino acid beta-protein gene precursor with specific reference to abnormal proteolysis may provide insights into the causation of the amyloidotic lesions of Alzheimer's disease.