Synthesis of of beta-amyloid precursor peptide and presenilin segments

It seems likely that the beta -amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the pres enilins (PS-1/2) play important roles in the development of Alzheimer's dis ease (AD). Attempts to mimic the biochemical actions of these proteins are often made by the application of fragments of these proteins. However, the synthesis elf these segments by conventional methods of peptide synthesis i s problematic. We have synthesized several C-terminal fragments of APP and PS-1/2 by solid-phase synthesis through combination of automatic and manual methods of synthesis. This permits solution of the 'difficult sequences' i n the solid-phase synthesis of these peptides. Some details of the synthese s of nine segments are presented in this paper. Copyright (C) 2001 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.