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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2008 Feb 25.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Neurovasc Res. 2005 Jan;2(1):55–72. doi: 10.2174/1567202052773508

Fig. (2). Pathways of caspase activation during Alzheimer's disease.

Fig. (2)

Caspase activation during Alzheimer's disease results in the cleavage of presenilin leading to apoptosis with loss of β-catenin, poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP), and Bcl-2. Caspases can cleave amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the resulting C-terminal fragment C31 resulting in hyperphosphorylation of tau protein (p-tau) as well as activation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). C31 and β-amyloid (Aβ) promotes the activation of caspases. Caspases also directly cleave tau protein to contribute to the formation of neurofibrillary tangles.

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