LIPOPROTEINS, NEUROBIOLOGY, AND ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE - STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF APOLIPOPROTEIN-E

The structure of apolipoprotein E has provided unique insights into th e role of this protein in lipoprotein metabolism and neurobiology. Iso form-specific differences between apolipoprotein E3 and apolipoprotein E4 have been described with respect to neurite extension by cultured neurons, and interactions with proteins characteristic of the lesions of Alzheimer's disease, such as the amyloid beta peptide of neuritic p laques and tau, the microtubule-associated protein of neurofibrillary tangles. Apolipoprotein E may play a part in normal neurobiology and i n the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.