摘要 |
This invention is directed to a novel beta-secretase that produces the Abeta peptide found in Alzheimer's Disease. One beta-secretase is a protein having a molecular weight of about 61, 81 or 88 kDa that cleaves an amyloid precursor protein (APP) substrate. Another is a protease complex having a molecular between about 180 and 200 kDa, which, in one embodiment, contains the 61, 81, and 88 kDa proteins and, in another embodiment, contains proteins having a molecular weight of about 66, 60, 33 and 29 kDa. Another beta-secretase has a molecular weight between about 50 and 90 kDA. The invention is also directed to methods of selecting agents that inhibit Abeta peptide production and treating Alzheimer's disease in patients.
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