β-Amyloid (1-40)

USA

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Beta-amyloid peptide (beta-APP) is a 40-residue peptide implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and aged Down's Syndrome, which is promoted by the acquisition of an additional copy of chromosome 21. The peptide is a proteolytic product of the much larger amyloid precursor protein (APP) encoded by a gene on chromosome 21. The peptide comprises a large extracellular N-terminal domain and a short hydrophobic membrane-spanning domain, followed by a short C-terminal region. Beta-APP both precedes and forms part of the transmembrane region.

In culture, beta-amyloid peptide is neurotrophic to undifferentiated hippocampal neurons at low concentrations and neurotoxic to mature neurons at higher concentrations. In differentiated neurons, it causes dendritic and axonal retraction followed by neuronal death.