Apolipoprotein E receptors: Linking brain development and Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that affli cts an increasing part of our ageing population. An isoform of apolipoprote in E, a protein that mediates the transport of lipids and cholesterol in th e circulatory system, predisposes carriers of this allele to the common lat e-onset form of the disease. How this protein is related to a neurodegenera tive disorder is an enigma. Mounting evidence indicates that apolipoprotein E receptors, which are abundantly expressed in most neurons in the central nervous system, also fulfil critical functions during brain development an d may profoundly influence the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.