BACE-1: Proteins and Enzymes

Both BACE-1 and BACE-2 are membrane-bound aspartic proteases of the pepsin family. BACE-1 is a potential target for treatment of Alzheimer's disease because it is the principle b-secretase responsible for cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP). BACE-2 differs from BACE-1 in several aspects including pro-enzyme activation, substrate binding sites, transcriptional regulation, and function in A beta peptide production.