Biological characteristics ofβ-secretase:research advances / 国际药学研究杂志

ABSTRACT

β-secretase, a typeⅠtransmembrane aspartic protease, initiates β-amyloid protein(Aβ) formation by cleaving β-amyloid precursor protein between Met596 and Asp597 or between Tyr606 and Glu607 to generate N-terminal fragment of Aβ. β-Secretase has many members,and aspartic proteinaseβ-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.