Overview:

APBA1 phosphorylates amyloid precursor protein (APP). There is strong evidence that implicates APP in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) (1). The phosphorylation of APP at Thr668 might be critical for generating soluble APP (β) and beta-amyloid peptide (aβ) fragments, which are the major components of senile plaques that are found in patient brains inflicted with AD (2,3).

References:

1. Liu, F. et al: Regulation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) phosphorylation and processing by p35/cdk5 and p25/cdk5. FEBS Lett 2003 547:193-196.

2. Ando, K. et al: Phosphorylation-dependent regulation of the interaction of amyloid precursor protein with Fe65 affects the production of beta-amyloid. J Biol Chem 2001 276:40353-40361.

3. Kamenetz, F. et al: APP processing and synaptic function. Neuron 2003 37:925-937, 2003.