Masters C L, Beyreuther K
Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Arzneimittelforschung. 1995 Mar;45(3A):410-2.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is caused by the aberrant metabolism of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and is consequently associated with the accumulation of one of its degradation products, the beta A4 amyloid protein. The proteases (secretases) which generate beta A4 from APP are now being defined, as is the normal function of APP. How neurons degenerate in AD remains unexplained, but is of central importance in developing new therapeutic approaches. While the genetic factors which contribute to the aberrant metabolism of APP are now being elucidated, the environmental factors which exacerbate this process are unknown.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）是由淀粉样前体蛋白（APP）的异常代谢引起的，因此与其一种降解产物β - A4淀粉样蛋白的积累有关。目前正在确定从APP产生β - A4的蛋白酶（分泌酶）以及APP的正常功能。AD中神经元如何退化仍无法解释，但这在开发新的治疗方法中至关重要。虽然导致APP异常代谢的遗传因素目前正在阐明，但加剧这一过程的环境因素尚不清楚。
