The role of APP in Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most significant neurodegenerative disorders in terms of both severity and cost. Despite being defined over a century ago, there is currently no cure to this disease that affects an increasing elderly population. The amyloid precursor protein (APP) has been shown to play an important role in AD progression. The amyloid β peptide (Aβ), which accumulates in senile plaques, a central etiological AD factor, is a proteolytic product from APP by the enzymatic action of β- and γ-secretases. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the processing and physiological functions of APP, and the involvement of APP and Aβ in AD.