CINXE.COM

<!doctype html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <title>Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells | Scientific American</title> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/researchers-discover-how/"> <meta name="theme-color" content="#fff"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/researchers-discover-how/"/> <meta name="author" content="Kristin Leutwyler"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Scientific American"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells"/> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@sciam"/> <meta name="twitter:domain" content="scientificamerican.com"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/> <script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/researchers-discover-how/","breadcrumb":{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Health","item":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/health/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","item":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/researchers-discover-how/"}]}},"headline":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","alternativeHeadline":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","description":"","url":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/researchers-discover-how/","thumbnailUrl":null,"image":[],"datePublished":"2001-12-06T00:00:00-05:00","dateModified":"2024-02-20T14:46:35.858000+00:00","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kristin Leutwyler","url":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/author/kristin-leutwyler/"}],"editor":null,"isAccessibleForFree":false,"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/#publisher","name":"Scientific American"},"copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/#publisher","name":"Scientific American"}}</script> <script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/#publisher","name":"Scientific American","alternateName":"SciAm","legalName":"Scientific American, a Division of Springer Nature America, Inc.","description":"Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.","foundingDate":"1845-08-28","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/static/sciam.svg"},"url":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/","masthead":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/masthead/","sameAs":["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_American","https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q39379","https://www.jstor.org/publisher/sciamerican","https://x.com/sciam","https://www.youtube.com/user/SciAmerican","https://www.tiktok.com/@scientificamerican","https://www.threads.net/@scientific_american","https://www.facebook.com/ScientificAmerican/"],"address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"1 New York Plaza","addressLocality":"New York","addressRegion":"NY","postalCode":"10004","addressCountry":"US"}}</script> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /> <link rel="icon shortcut" href="/static/favicon.ico" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/platform/syndication/rss/" /> <script data-layer="critical">;performance.mark('app-load-start');((d,ael,dcl,unl,cxl,log,onunl)=>{log('[readyState]',d.readyState);d[ael]('readystatechange',()=>log('[readyState]',d.readyState));d[ael](dcl,()=>log(dcl));d[ael](unl,onunl);window.onload=()=>{d.removeEventListener(unl,onunl);log('windowloaded')};})(document,'addEventListener','DOMContentLoaded','beforeunload','cancelled',(...msg)=>console.log('[dev]',...msg),()=>{window[cxl]=true;log(cxl)});((l,pii) => {if (pii.some(p => l.search.includes(p+"="))) {window.initSearch = l.search;const anon = new URLSearchParams(l.search);pii.forEach(p => anon.delete(p));history.replaceState({}, "", l.pathname + "?" + anon);} })(location, ["email", "magic_link", "token", "code", "state"]);</script> <script type="module" crossorigin src="/static/bundle.e40f4882.js"></script> <link rel="modulepreload" crossorigin href="/static/chunks/preload-helper-4aa0ec7d.js"> <link rel="modulepreload" crossorigin href="/static/chunks/vendor-react-d0986667.js"> <link rel="modulepreload" crossorigin href="/static/chunks/sciam-11dcdbde.js"> <link rel="modulepreload" crossorigin href="/static/chunks/use-piano-auth-sync-4616fe11.js"> <link rel="modulepreload" crossorigin href="/static/chunks/index-49678be1.js"> <link rel="modulepreload" crossorigin href="/static/chunks/datalayer-043ea249.js"> <link rel="modulepreload" crossorigin href="/static/chunks/use-chargebee-76bddde2.js"> <link rel="modulepreload" crossorigin href="/static/chunks/use-plan-6f8b42bf.js"> <link rel="modulepreload" crossorigin href="/static/chunks/use-cart-26044fd3.js"> <link rel="modulepreload" crossorigin href="/static/chunks/useOverlay-f74ac14c.js"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/bundle-aba65ab5.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/ColumnSignup-b1aa196a.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/SubPromo-b3708065.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/header-04186c49.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/Kicker-9f542fcf.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/ArticleDisplay-3498be04.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/index-1a691954.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/Input-073c1e99.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/Body-e211efbd.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/index-94d9de3f.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/Article-949ca3eb.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/809535ac.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/Article-a01e443c.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/DefaultLayout-2955ad5f.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/article-92837630.css"> <link rel="modulepreload" href="/static/article.1ad93902.js" crossorigin fetchpriority="auto"> <link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js" as="script" fetchpriority="auto"> <link rel="preload" href="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-5FLM662" as="script" fetchpriority="auto"> <link rel="preload" href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/sciads/sciads.js" as="script" fetchpriority="auto"> <link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.tp.scientificamerican.com/api/tinypass.min.js" as="script" fetchpriority="low"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://cdn.cxense.com/cx.cce.js" as="script"> </head> <body> <div id="app"><header class="headerContainer-8KxQ5" role="banner"><a href="#main" id="skipToMain" class="skiptocontent sr-only-focusable sr-only">Skip to main content</a><div class="header-1t1JE flex-aYeiI"><div class="left-ajw3c flex-aYeiI"><a href="/" aria-label="Link to homepage" class="logoLink-Wt3sq"><span class="sr-only">Scientific American</span><svg width="1em" height="1em" viewBox="0 0 120.79 128.39" fill="currentColor" role="img" aria-label="Scientific American"><path d="M7.98 58.19c2.3 0 5.24 3.18 14.53 3.18 13.66 0 21.75-8.57 21.75-17.86 0-7.86-3.73-12.94-11.43-17.23l-9.37-5.24c-4.05-2.3-7.46-5.32-7.46-9.92 0-4.92 3.73-7.7 9.69-7.7s11.35 4.21 13.02 13.26h1.98V.95h-1.83c-.16 1.43-.87 2.06-1.75 2.06-2.06 0-4.53-2.94-12.62-2.94C13.85.08 5.12 6.51 5.12 16.35c0 7.3 3.26 11.83 9.77 15.56l9.61 5.48c5.48 3.18 7.7 6.19 7.7 10.72 0 5.64-3.18 9.77-10.64 9.77-9.29 0-13.58-5.08-15.32-16.2H4.1V60.5h1.98c.16-1.67.95-2.3 1.91-2.3Zm65.97 3.26c11.11-.03 19.13-8.81 20.4-20.72l-2.22-.64c-2.54 8.26-7.22 12.46-13.97 12.46-12.23 0-16.04-14.93-16.04-27.87 0-15.56 6.11-21.28 14.13-21.28 5.72 0 11.83 5.72 14.45 16.59h2.06V.95h-1.91c-.16 1.27-.87 2.06-2.14 2.06-1.91 0-5.72-3.02-11.83-3.02-14.85 0-28.66 12.07-28.66 32.39 0 17.39 10.96 29.1 25.72 29.06Zm14.53 42.72L76.49 68.84H56.24v1.75c3.33.16 4.76.95 4.76 5.95v42c0 6.03-1.67 8.1-5.32 8.1-2.54 0-4.53-1.91-6.51-6.91L29.11 68.12h-2.7L6.35 119.89c-2.17 5.72-4.3 6.75-6.35 6.75v1.75h18.02v-1.75c-5.8-.24-8.65-2.7-5.8-10.48l2.05-5.4h17.88l3.45 8.97c2.3 5.72.64 6.91-3.73 6.91v1.75h39.62v-1.75c-4.13 0-6.27-1.19-6.27-8.02l.48-42.08 17.07 51.29h2.14l17.63-51.05v43.9c0 5.48-1.75 5.95-5.08 5.95v1.75h23.34v-1.75c-3.33 0-4.76-.48-4.76-5.95V76.54c0-5.56 1.43-5.95 4.76-5.95v-1.75h-19.85l-12.46 35.33Zm-72.88 3.1 7.56-19.85 7.63 19.85H15.6ZM120.79 2.7V.95h-23.1V2.7c3.33 0 4.84.32 4.84 5.95v44.14c0 5.48-1.51 5.95-4.84 5.95v1.75h23.1v-1.75c-3.33 0-4.76-.48-4.76-5.95V8.65c0-5.64 1.43-5.95 4.76-5.95Z"></path></svg></a></div><div class="center-oMgM8 flex-aYeiI"></div><div class="right-4LP3J flex-aYeiI"><button type="button" id="radix-:Rnl:" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-expanded="false" data-state="closed" class="trigger-8ea-U" aria-label="User Menu"><div class="dropdownIconContainer-hDbEe"><svg width="1em" height="1em" viewBox="0 0 472 472" fill="currentColor" role="img" aria-label="User" class="dropdownIcon-XeKnP profileIconImg-pc8tD"><path d="M403 69a235 235 0 0 0-334 0 235 235 0 0 0 0 334 235 235 0 0 0 334 0 235 235 0 0 0 0-334ZM118 412a122 122 0 0 1 237 0 211 211 0 0 1-237 0Zm41-197a77 77 0 1 1 155 0 77 77 0 0 1-155 0Zm216 181c-14-43-48-77-91-92a101 101 0 1 0-96 0c-43 15-77 49-91 92a212 212 0 1 1 278 0Z"></path></svg><div class="dropdownIcon-XeKnP initials-z1adZ"></div></div></button></div></div></header><main class="main-gNG8x"><article class="article-GDG-h"><div class="article__header-bUswr article__header__reduce_padding_bottom-lno25"><div class="article_date_and_read_time-yLEUt"><p class="article_pub_date-EsKM-">December 6, 2001</p><p class="article_read_time-zEJJG">2 min read</p></div><h1 class="article_hed-9vUZD"><p>Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells</p></h1><div class="article_dek-bmjfm"><p></p></div><p class="article_authors-s5nSV">By <a class="article_authors__link--mMFB" href="/author/kristin-leutwyler/">Kristin Leutwyler</a> </p><div class="article_eyebrows-BqeOV"><div class="eyebrows_container-QeE5W eyebrows_container__margin_top-8RQXq"></div></div></div><div class="columnSignup-ztftf"><form class="form-iuY8H"><p class="columnSignup__hdr__text-txjdh">Join Our Community of Science Lovers!</p><button class=""><span class="columnDropdownTxt-vmLrQ">Sign Up for Our Free Daily Newsletter</span></button><div class="columnDropdownWrap-EOZlf"><div><label for="email-:R8p:" class="sr-only">Email Address</label><input id="email-:R8p:" class="input-DHdro input-QLKSA" type="email" name="email" placeholder="Enter your email" required=""/></div><div><label for="consent-:R8p:" class="checkboxLabel-zVwTj"><input id="consent-:R8p:" class="input-DHdro input-QLKSA checkbox-tNiTj" type="checkbox" name="consent" required=""/><span>I agree my information will be processed in accordance with the Scientific American and Springer Nature Limited <a href="/page/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a>.</span></label></div><input type="hidden" name="lists" value="today_in_science"/><button class="button-yNos0" type="submit">Sign Up</button></div></form></div><div class="body-n28ll prose-Yw0x0 prose-v4bYC article__body-ivA3W"><p class="" data-block="sciam/paragraph">Lawrence S. B. Goldstein and colleagues at the University of California in San Diego have now discovered how a protein involved in Alzheimer's disease¿the amyloid precursor protein (APP)¿normally behaves in the healthy brain cells of both mice and fruit flies. This information, published today in <i>Nature,</i> suggests an all new mechanism by which Alzheimer's might develop and thus opens new paths to explore towards potential therapies.</p><p class="" data-block="sciam/paragraph">The researchers focused on APP because it has long been known to degrade into so-called amyloid beta plaques, which are seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. What had remained mysterious was exactly how and where APP generates amyloid beta¿and why that should lead to brain cell death. All cells in the body normally produce amyloid beta, Goldstein says, "that's why we asked what was special about neurons that made them susceptible to damage caused by APP."</p><p class="" data-block="sciam/paragraph">They found that APP plays an important role in moving signals through axons¿the projections along which neurons communicate. In fruit flies, they showed that a lack of APP hindered the neurons' ability to send materials through axons. Too much APP clogged the axonal system and killed the neurons. These experiments appeared in <i>Neuron</i> last month. In the new report, they demonstrate in a mouse model that the transport system in question moves two enzymes¿beta-secretase (Bace) and presenilin¿that also seem to be responsible for breaking APP down into amyloid beta.</p><hr/><h2>On supporting science journalism</h2><p>If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by <a href="/getsciam/">subscribing</a>. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.</p><hr/><p class="" data-block="sciam/paragraph">"Once amyloid beta has been generated, it is possible that the axonal pathway becomes physically blocked," Goldstein says. "We're suggesting that with this blockage, a signal is generated saying that traffic is blocked and the neuron should die. Although this is only a first step in understanding the connection between APP, axonal transport and the location where amyloid beta is produced during disease, our work offers a possible approach for the eventual design of new Alzheimer's therapies that directly target amyloid beta and APP transport."</p></div><footer class="footer-u1I4n"><div class="divide-L7a-x"><div class="rights-Y0o9k"></div></div><div class="divide-L7a-x"></div><div class="divide-L7a-x"><div class="subdivide-5Zp4J"><a href="/author/kristin-leutwyler/">More by <span>Kristin Leutwyler</span></a></div></div><div class="divide-L7a-x"></div></footer><div class="breakoutContainer-8fsaw"><gpt-ad class="ad-G8iDN" unitpath="injector" style="--margin:0.25rem 0 1.25rem" id-format="gpt-unit-{}" sizes-from-0="320x450,300x250,300x50,320x50,fluid" sizes-from-745="320x450,728x90,300x250,fluid" sizes-from-1000="970x350,970x250,970x90,728x90,300x250,fluid" targeting-pos="article-footer"></gpt-ad></div></article></main><footer class="footer-VfsmT"><div class="footerContainer-pfbjC"><h2 class="footerMainText-wQ3og">Expand Your World with Science</h2></div><div class="footerFlexContainer-XKe5g footerContainer-pfbjC"><div class="footerLinks-m1THn"><p class="footerText-PzHcy">Learn and share the most exciting discoveries, innovations and ideas shaping our world today.</p><a class="footerLink-uRzI4" href="/getsciam/">Subscribe</a><a class="footerLink-uRzI4" href="/newsletters/">Sign up for our newsletters</a><a class="footerLink-uRzI4" href="/">See the latest stories</a><a class="footerLink-uRzI4" href="/latest-issue/">Read the latest issue</a><a class="footerLink-uRzI4" href="/getsciam/gift/">Give a Gift Subscription</a><p class="footerSocialMedia-7KIIV">Follow Us:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/scientific_american/?hl=en" target="_blank" alt="Instagram link" title="Instagram"><svg class="footerSocialIcon-UQyIx" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><path d="M224.1 141c-63.6 0-114.9 51.3-114.9 114.9s51.3 114.9 114.9 114.9S339 319.5 339 255.9 287.7 141 224.1 141zm0 189.6c-41.1 0-74.7-33.5-74.7-74.7s33.5-74.7 74.7-74.7 74.7 33.5 74.7 74.7-33.6 74.7-74.7 74.7zm146.4-194.3c0 14.9-12 26.8-26.8 26.8-14.9 0-26.8-12-26.8-26.8s12-26.8 26.8-26.8 26.8 12 26.8 26.8zm76.1 27.2c-1.7-35.9-9.9-67.7-36.2-93.9-26.2-26.2-58-34.4-93.9-36.2-37-2.1-147.9-2.1-184.9 0-35.8 1.7-67.6 9.9-93.9 36.1s-34.4 58-36.2 93.9c-2.1 37-2.1 147.9 0 184.9 1.7 35.9 9.9 67.7 36.2 93.9s58 34.4 93.9 36.2c37 2.1 147.9 2.1 184.9 0 35.9-1.7 67.7-9.9 93.9-36.2 26.2-26.2 34.4-58 36.2-93.9 2.1-37 2.1-147.8 0-184.8zM398.8 388c-7.8 19.6-22.9 34.7-42.6 42.6-29.5 11.7-99.5 9-132.1 9s-102.7 2.6-132.1-9c-19.6-7.8-34.7-22.9-42.6-42.6-11.7-29.5-9-99.5-9-132.1s-2.6-102.7 9-132.1c7.8-19.6 22.9-34.7 42.6-42.6 29.5-11.7 99.5-9 132.1-9s102.7-2.6 132.1 9c19.6 7.8 34.7 22.9 42.6 42.6 11.7 29.5 9 99.5 9 132.1s2.7 102.7-9 132.1z"></path></svg></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/SciAmerican" target="_blank" alt="YouTube link" title="YouTube"><svg class="footerSocialIcon-UQyIx" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 576 512"><path d="M549.655 124.083c-6.281-23.65-24.787-42.276-48.284-48.597C458.781 64 288 64 288 64S117.22 64 74.629 75.486c-23.497 6.322-42.003 24.947-48.284 48.597-11.412 42.867-11.412 132.305-11.412 132.305s0 89.438 11.412 132.305c6.281 23.65 24.787 41.5 48.284 47.821C117.22 448 288 448 288 448s170.78 0 213.371-11.486c23.497-6.321 42.003-24.171 48.284-47.821 11.412-42.867 11.412-132.305 11.412-132.305s0-89.438-11.412-132.305zm-317.51 213.508V175.185l142.739 81.205-142.739 81.201z"></path></svg></a><a href="https://www.threads.net/@scientific_american" target="_blank" alt="Threads link" title="Threads"><svg class="footerSocialIcon-UQyIx" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><path d="M331.5 235.7c2.2.9 4.2 1.9 6.3 2.8c29.2 14.1 50.6 35.2 61.8 61.4c15.7 36.5 17.2 95.8-30.3 143.2c-36.2 36.2-80.3 52.5-142.6 53h-.3c-70.2-.5-124.1-24.1-160.4-70.2c-32.3-41-48.9-98.1-49.5-169.6v-.5c.5-71.5 17.1-128.6 49.4-169.6c36.3-46.1 90.3-69.7 160.5-70.2h.3c70.3.5 124.9 24 162.3 69.9c18.4 22.7 32 50 40.6 81.7l-40.4 10.8c-7.1-25.8-17.8-47.8-32.2-65.4c-29.2-35.8-73-54.2-130.5-54.6c-57 .5-100.1 18.8-128.2 54.4C72.1 146.1 58.5 194.3 58 256c.5 61.7 14.1 109.9 40.3 143.3c28 35.6 71.2 53.9 128.2 54.4c51.4-.4 85.4-12.6 113.7-40.9c32.3-32.2 31.7-71.8 21.4-95.9c-6.1-14.2-17.1-26-31.9-34.9c-3.7 26.9-11.8 48.3-24.7 64.8c-17.1 21.8-41.4 33.6-72.7 35.3c-23.6 1.3-46.3-4.4-63.9-16c-20.8-13.8-33-34.8-34.3-59.3c-2.5-48.3 35.7-83 95.2-86.4c21.1-1.2 40.9-.3 59.2 2.8c-2.4-14.8-7.3-26.6-14.6-35.2c-10-11.7-25.6-17.7-46.2-17.8h-.7c-16.6 0-39 4.6-53.3 26.3l-34.4-23.6c19.2-29.1 50.3-45.1 87.8-45.1h.8c62.6.4 99.9 39.5 103.7 107.7l-.2.2zm-156 68.8c1.3 25.1 28.4 36.8 54.6 35.3c25.6-1.4 54.6-11.4 59.5-73.2c-13.2-2.9-27.8-4.4-43.4-4.4c-4.8 0-9.6.1-14.4.4c-42.9 2.4-57.2 23.2-56.2 41.8z"></path></svg></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ScientificAmerican" target="_blank" alt="Facebook link" title="Facebook"><svg class="footerSocialIcon-UQyIx" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 320 512"><path d="M279.14 288l14.22-92.66h-88.91v-60.13c0-25.35 12.42-50.06 52.24-50.06h40.42V6.26S260.43 0 225.36 0c-73.22 0-121.08 44.38-121.08 124.72v70.62H22.89V288h81.39v224h100.17V288z"></path></svg></a><a href="/platform/syndication/rss/" target="_blank" alt="RSS feed" title="RSS feed"><svg class="footerSocialIcon-UQyIx" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><path d="M0 64C0 46.3 14.3 32 32 32c229.8 0 416 186.2 416 416c0 17.7-14.3 32-32 32s-32-14.3-32-32C384 253.6 226.4 96 32 96C14.3 96 0 81.7 0 64zM0 416a64 64 0 1 1 128 0A64 64 0 1 1 0 416zM32 160c159.1 0 288 128.9 288 288c0 17.7-14.3 32-32 32s-32-14.3-32-32c0-123.7-100.3-224-224-224c-17.7 0-32-14.3-32-32s14.3-32 32-32z"></path></svg></a></p></div><div class="footerImageContainer-omuef"><img class="footerImage-fMFhw" src="/static/assets/footerProductImg-f6732134.png" alt="Scientific American publications in print & digital formats" as="image" loading="lazy"/></div></div><div class="grid-c0--6 footerContainer-pfbjC"><div><ul><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="/page/return-refund-policy/">Return & Refund Policy</a></li><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="/page/about-scientific-american/">About</a></li><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="/pressroom/">Press Room</a></li></ul></div><div><ul class="footer-links"><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="/page/frequently-asked-questions/subscriptions-products/">FAQs</a></li><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="/page/contact-us/customer-service/">Contact Us</a></li><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="/page/international/">International Editions</a></li></ul></div><div><ul class="footer-links"><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="/mediakit/">Advertise</a></li><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="/accessibility-statement/">Accessibility Statement</a></li><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="/page/terms-of-use/">Terms of Use</a></li></ul></div><div><ul class="footer-links"><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="/page/privacy-policy/">Privacy Policy</a></li><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="/page/california-consumer-privacy-statement/">California Consumer Privacy Statement</a></li><li><a class="footerSmallLink-tZvCu" href="#">Use of cookies/Do not sell my data</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="footerContainer-pfbjC"><p>Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us). Scientific American maintains a strict policy of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers.</p><p>漏 2024 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, A DIVISION OF SPRINGER NATURE AMERICA, INC.<br/>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.</p></div></footer></div> <script id="__DATA__">window.__DATA__=JSON.parse(`{"initialData":{"article":{"id":1235922,"contentful_id":"o9E39GyJ8G4yR9RnyP4yj","mura_id":"C740D250-ACC3-41B9-953FB369C7650D7A","mura_contentid":"0001CA31-2913-1C68-B882809EC588ED9F","title":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","display_title":"<p>Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells</p>","share_title":null,"display_category":"Health","display_category_slug":"health","display_date":null,"slug":"researchers-discover-how","summary":"<p></p>","blurb":"<p>Lawrence S. B. Goldstein and colleagues at the University of California in San Diego have now discovered how a protein involved in Alzheimer's disease驴the amyloid precursor protein (APP)驴normally behaves in the healthy brain cells of both mice and fruit flies. This information, published today in <i>Nature,</i> suggests an all new mechanism by which Alzheimer's might develop and thus opens new paths to explore towards potential therapies.</p>","why_box":"","content":[{"tag":"p","type":"paragraph","attributes":{},"content":"Lawrence S. B. Goldstein and colleagues at the University of California in San Diego have now discovered how a protein involved in Alzheimer's disease¿the amyloid precursor protein (APP)¿normally behaves in the healthy brain cells of both mice and fruit flies. This information, published today in <i>Nature,</i> suggests an all new mechanism by which Alzheimer's might develop and thus opens new paths to explore towards potential therapies."},{"tag":"p","type":"paragraph","attributes":{},"content":"The researchers focused on APP because it has long been known to degrade into so-called amyloid beta plaques, which are seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. What had remained mysterious was exactly how and where APP generates amyloid beta¿and why that should lead to brain cell death. All cells in the body normally produce amyloid beta, Goldstein says, \\"that's why we asked what was special about neurons that made them susceptible to damage caused by APP.\\""},{"tag":"p","type":"paragraph","attributes":{},"content":"They found that APP plays an important role in moving signals through axons¿the projections along which neurons communicate. In fruit flies, they showed that a lack of APP hindered the neurons' ability to send materials through axons. Too much APP clogged the axonal system and killed the neurons. These experiments appeared in <i>Neuron</i> last month. In the new report, they demonstrate in a mouse model that the transport system in question moves two enzymes¿beta-secretase (Bace) and presenilin¿that also seem to be responsible for breaking APP down into amyloid beta."},{"tag":"p","type":"paragraph","attributes":{},"content":"\\"Once amyloid beta has been generated, it is possible that the axonal pathway becomes physically blocked,\\" Goldstein says. \\"We're suggesting that with this blockage, a signal is generated saying that traffic is blocked and the neuron should die. Although this is only a first step in understanding the connection between APP, axonal transport and the location where amyloid beta is produced during disease, our work offers a possible approach for the eventual design of new Alzheimer's therapies that directly target amyloid beta and APP transport.\\""}],"authors":[{"mura_id":"5EF6269D-D002-4522-B4268A6012BDBFF0","url":"/author/kristin-leutwyler/","contentful_id":"UnMPMlVHnZosiqRY5x1kg","name":"Kristin Leutwyler","slug":"kristin-leutwyler","biography":null,"picture_file":null,"category":null,"contacts":[]}],"editors":[],"image_url":null,"image_width":null,"image_height":null,"image_alt_text":null,"image_caption":null,"image_credits":null,"image_desktop_url":null,"image_desktop_width":null,"image_desktop_height":null,"image_block_syndication":false,"release_date":"2001-12-06T00:00:00-05:00","date_published":"2001-12-06T00:00:00-05:00","primary_category":"Health","primary_category_slug":"health","subcategory":"Health","subcategory_slug":"health","subtype":"news","column":null,"digital_column":null,"digital_column_slug":null,"digital_column_url":null,"digital_column_frequency":null,"digital_column_description":null,"digital_column_newsletter_id":null,"digital_column_newsletter_name":null,"digital_column_signup_cta":null,"digital_column_email_subject":null,"collection_slug":null,"collection_name":null,"partner_title":null,"partner_url":null,"partner_end_note":null,"article_doi":null,"categories":["Alzheimer's Disease","Health"],"contains_media":null,"is_partner":false,"is_resalable":false,"is_syndicated":false,"is_opinion":false,"journal_issue_name":null,"keywords":[],"media_url":null,"media_type":null,"podcast_series_name":null,"podcast_series_slug":null,"published_at_date":"2001-12-06","published_at_date_time":"2001-12-06T00:00:00-05:00","published_at_time":"00:00:00","tags":[],"type":"Article","updated_at_date_time":"2024-02-20T14:46:35.858000+00:00","paywall_exempt":false,"page_number":null,"print_title":null,"print_dek":"","canonical_url":null,"url":"/article/researchers-discover-how/","footnote":"","content_modeling":null,"content_difficulty":null,"sentiment":null,"durability":null,"newsroom_id":null,"layout":"default"},"issue":null,"persistentHeaderTitle":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","dataLayerContent":{"content":{"articleDoi":"","authors":["Kristin Leutwyler"],"authorsCategory":[null],"canonicalUrl":"","categories":"Alzheimer's Disease,Health","collectionId":"","collectionName":"","column":"","containsMedia":"","contentfulId":"o9E39GyJ8G4yR9RnyP4yj","contentId":"0001CA31-2913-1C68-B882809EC588ED9F","contentDifficulty":"","contentModeling":[],"durability":"","editors":[],"isOpinion":false,"isPartner":false,"isResalable":false,"isSyndicated":false,"journalIssueName":"","language":"en","partnerName":"","platform":"hopper","paywallExempt":null,"podcastSeries":"","primaryCategory":"Health","printDek":"","printTitle":"","publishedAtDate":"2001-12-06","publishedAtDateTime":"2001-12-06T00:00:00-05:00","publishedAtTime":"00:00:00","readTime":2,"sentiment":"","subCategory":"Health","title":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","type":"news","updatedAtDateTime":"2024-02-20T14:46:35.858000+00:00","wordCount":317,"advertiser":"","campaign":"","isSponsored":false},"game":{"gameId":"","puzzleType":"","set":"","dek":""}},"meta":{"title":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/researchers-discover-how/","image":null,"imageWidth":null,"imageBlockSyndication":false,"tags":{"author":"Kristin Leutwyler","description":"","og:title":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","og:site_name":"Scientific American","og:image":null,"og:image:alt":null,"og:type":"article","og:url":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/researchers-discover-how/","twitter:title":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","twitter:image":null,"twitter:image:alt":null},"jsonLD":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/researchers-discover-how/","breadcrumb":{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Health","item":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/health/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","item":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/researchers-discover-how/"}]}},"headline":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","alternativeHeadline":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimer's Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","description":"","url":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/researchers-discover-how/","thumbnailUrl":null,"image":[],"datePublished":"2001-12-06T00:00:00-05:00","dateModified":"2024-02-20T14:46:35.858000+00:00","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kristin Leutwyler","url":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/author/kristin-leutwyler/"}],"isAccessibleForFree":false,"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/#publisher","name":"Scientific American"},"copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/#publisher","name":"Scientific American"}}},"adsConfig":{"unitpath":"/270604982/sciam/article","targeting":{"title":"Researchers Discover How Alzheimers Protein Behaves in Healthy Cells","id":"o9E39GyJ8G4yR9RnyP4yj","cat":["Alzheimer's Disease","Health",""],"subject":"Health","authors":["Kristin Leutwyler"],"podcast":null,"version":"hopper"}},"podcastSeriesInfo":null,"readTime":2,"wordCount":317,"isPreview":false,"abTestGroup":"5"},"bundle":"article"}`)</script> <script data-layer="footer">;OptanonWrapper=()=>{};consentQueue=[];tp=[];pdl={requireConsent:'v2'};window.dataLayer=[];;window.__ads=[];_sf_async_config={};_cbq=[]</script> </body> </html>