| Popis: |
Research on AD has shed light on the biochemical composition and mechanisms of the formation of amyloid deposits and PHFs, the structural hallmarks of the disease. Amyloid is composed of a 4-kd peptide, beta P, that originates in the metabolism of a 130-kd transmembrane precursor protein. Soluble beta P accumulates in the AD brain until it polymerizes in amyloid fibers. Paired helical filaments are composed of hyperphosphorylated tau, a microtubule-associated protein that normally acts as a tubulin assembly factor. Future research must clarify why beta P accumulates in extracellular spaces of AD tissue and focus on the relation between amyloid deposition and neuronal degeneration. |
