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Splice variants of the Alzheimer’s disease beta-secretase, BACE1

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Abstract

Cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein by enzymes commonly referred to as β- and γ-secretase constitute an important process in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The regulation of this process is therefore an important subject of investigation. Numerous sources of endogenous regulation have been identified, and one of these is the relative abundance and regulation of splice variants of the β-secretase, BACE1 (β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1). In this review, we will briefly discuss the main characteristics of BACE1, review the different variants of this enzyme that have been identified to date, and highlight their possible implication in AD.

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Acknowledgments

RMDH is supported by the National Health and Medical Council (research grant #570398) and by a Biomedical Science Research Initiative Grant. We thank Natalie Holsinger for preparation of the figures and assistance in formatting.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Brain and Mind Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia

    R. M. Damian Holsinger, Nelleke Goense & John Bohorquez

  2. Discipline of Biomedical Science, School of Medical Sciences, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW, 1825, Australia

    R. M. Damian Holsinger

  3. School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2678, Australia

    Padraig Strappe

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  1. R. M. Damian Holsinger
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  2. Nelleke Goense
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Correspondence to R. M. Damian Holsinger.

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Holsinger, R.M.D., Goense, N., Bohorquez, J. et al. Splice variants of the Alzheimer’s disease beta-secretase, BACE1. Neurogenetics 14, 1–9 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10048-012-0348-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10048-012-0348-3

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