Pore-forming scissors? A first structural glimpse of γ-secretase
Trends Biochem Sci 31(9): 491-3
| Authors/Editors: |
Steiner H Than M Bode W Haass C |
|---|---|
| Publication Date: | 2006 |
| Type of Publication: | Journal Article |
Amyloid plaques, which are composed of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), signify Alzheimer's disease pathology. Secretases generate Aβ by processing the β-amyloid precursor protein. γ-Secretase, a complex comprising four different proteins, liberates Aβ from its precursor by intramembrane proteolysis. The first impression of the shape of γ-secretase has recently been revealed by electron microscopy. It indicates a spherical transmembrane particle with an interior chamber that, presumably, accommodates its catalytic residues, and two openings that might be exit sites for the cleavage products.
