New mechanism uncovered in early stages of Alzheimer's disease
Originally published by VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) on April 15, 2024 APP-C-Terminal Fragments (APP-CTFs) accumulate between the endoplasmic reticulum and the lysosomes,. Credit: VIB Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains one of the most challenging and prevalent neurodegenerative disorders, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. In a new study published in Developmental Cell, researchers from the lab of Wim Annaert ( VIB-KU Leuven ) have identified a novel mechanism potentially connected to the early stages of AD . They demonstrated that a fragment of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) , called APP-CTF , disrupts communication between cellular compartments crucial for calcium storage and waste disposal , which could be an early event p receding neuronal cell death . These findings, with potential implications for the development of new AD treatments, suggest that preventing APP-CTF accumulation needs to be taken into account to develop more effective t