Title:The Alzheimer’s Disease Amyloid Precursor Protein and its Neuritogenic Actions
Volume: 18
Issue: 10
Author(s): Luan Luu*, Giuseppe D. Ciccotosto and Roberto Cappai
Affiliation:
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Macquarie University, Macquarie, NSW 2109,Australia
Keywords:
Amyloid precursor protein, neurite, neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, function, RhoA, miRNA.
Abstract: The Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) is principally known and studied for its involvement
in Alzheimer’s disease as the source of the amyloid β peptide; however, its physiological actions
within the nervous system are also important as it is involved in a range of neuronal activities,
including neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, neurite outgrowth, and neuroprotection. Of the different
neuronal functions that APP can affect, some may be relevant to APP’s role in Alzheimer’s
disease, while others can be primarily related to its physiological roles. This review will focus on
APP’s neuritogenic actions and surmise the key molecular mechanisms, as well as the structural
and signaling requirements, which form the basis for APP’s neuritogenic effects. Deciphering the
normal function(s) of APP is valuable to properly understanding its role in health as well as
Alzheimer’s disease.
