Biological characteristics of β-secretase: Research advances / 国际药学研究杂志

ABSTRACT

β-secretase，a type I transmembrane aspartic protease, initiates b-amyloid protein(Aβ) formation by cleaving β- amyloid precursor protein between Met596and Asp597or between Tyr606and Glu607to generate N-terminal fragment of Aβ. β-Secretase has many members，and aspartic proteinase β-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is the most famous of them. Because BACE1 plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’ s disease (AD) and a neurodegenerative disease# it has been studied fully. In this article，we review the gene and protein structure，transcription and translation，intracellular trafficking and metabolism of BACE1 and summarize substrates and homologous enzymes of BACE1. This work provides some reference for BACE1 as a drug target on AD.