Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that afflicts an increasing part of our ageing population. An isoform of apolipoprotein E, a protein that mediates the transport of lipids and cholesterol in the circulatory system, predisposes carriers of this allele to the common late-onset form of the disease. How this protein is related to a neurodegenerative disorder is an enigma. Mounting evidence indicates that apolipoprotein E receptors, which are abundantly expressed in most neurons in the central nervous system, also fulfil critical functions during brain development and may profoundly influence the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
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Acknowledgements
Supported by grants from the NIH, the Human Frontier Science Program, the Perot Family Foundation and the American Heart Association. U.B. is supported by a fellowship from the Human Frontier Science Program.
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Glossary
- GENETIC LINKAGE
-
The association of two or more genes such that they are normally transmitted together.
- KUNITZ-TYPE PROTEASE INHIBITOR DOMAIN
-
An alternatively transcribed exon within APP that encodes a protease inhibitor. APP is also known as protease nexin II, and is a potent inhibitor of blood coagulation factors IXa and XIa.
- POLYMORPHISM
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The existence of different genotypes in frequencies that cannot be explained by recurrent mutations.
- HOLOPROSENCEPHALY
-
Failure of the forebrain or prosencephalon to divide into hemispheres or lobes, often accompanied by a deficit in midline facial development.
- CEREBELLAR ATAXIA
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Loss of muscle coordination caused by disorders of the cerebellum.
- NPxY
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A tetra-amino-acid motif present in the cytoplasmic tail of the LDL receptor family and other cell surface receptors mediating endocytosis and interactions with PTB-domain-containing adaptor and scaffold proteins.
- WW DOMAIN
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Domains containing 38–40 amino acids that bind proline-rich sequences in various proteins.
- COATED PIT
-
An invagination of the membrane involved in receptor-mediated endocytosis.
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Herz, J., Beffert, U. Apolipoprotein E receptors: linking brain development and alzheimer's disease. Nat Rev Neurosci 1, 51–58 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35036221
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35036221
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