Abstract
Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein, and its homologs amyloid precursor-like protein 1 (APLP1) and amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) are highly conserved in mammals. APP and APLP are known to be intimately involved in the pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and to play important roles in neuronal homeostasis and development and neural transmission. APP and APLP are also expressed in non-neuronal tissues and are overexpressed in cancer cells. Furthermore, research indicates they are involved in several cancers. In this review, we examine the biological characteristics of APP-related family members and their roles in cancer.
Highlights
Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein that plays important roles in neural transmission and neuronal homeostasis and development [1].APP is a member of the APP-related protein family that includes amyloid precursor-like proteins 1 and 2 (APLP1 and amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2)) in mammals and amyloid precursor protein-like (APPL) in Drosophila [2]
APP is a member of the APP-related protein family that includes amyloid precursor-like proteins 1 and 2 (APLP1 and APLP2) in mammals and amyloid precursor protein-like (APPL) in Drosophila [2]
APP is involved in cell survival, cellular adhesion, differentiation, and migration [25], and the expressions of APP and APLP are abundant in various non-neuronal tissues, which suggests they are involved in tissue growth
Summary
Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein that plays important roles in neural transmission and neuronal homeostasis and development [1]. APP is a member of the APP-related protein family that includes amyloid precursor-like proteins 1 and 2 (APLP1 and APLP2) in mammals and amyloid precursor protein-like (APPL) in Drosophila [2]. APP has 695 to 770 isoforms and the homologies of APP and APLP are highly conserved. Over the past 20 years, it has become clear that amyloid precursor protein (APP) is an important player in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a common age-related neurodegenerative disorder that causes progressive memory and cognitive impairments. APP is a member of the APP-related protein family, which includes APL-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans, amyloid precursor-like proteins (APLP1 and APLP2) in mammals, and the amyloid precursor protein-like (APPL) in Drosophila [2]. APP gene has 18 exons, and alternative splicing of APP results in eight isoforms comprised of 695 to 770 amino acids [2]. 25 mutations in the APP gene have been reported to be pathogenic and to result in amino acid substitutions within flanking the Aβ domain [8]
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