Amyloid beta and Methionine Sulfoxide Related to Abeta 42 Antibody and Abeta 40 Antibody

By Eric Neeley

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating neurodegenerative illness characterized by the formation of plaques, tangles, and eventually synaptic loss. Amyloid beta (Aβ) is the processed form of the Amyloid precursor protein (APP), and whose aggregation eventually forms the amyloid plaques of the disease. APP is cleaved by alpha, beta, and gamma secretases to form numerous peptide isoforms of various lengths, but most common are Aβ₄₀ and Aβ_42, which are created by the later of the secretases. Both forms of the peptide are important for research, as is the need for tools that can differentiate between the two. Although Aβ₄₀ is more common, Aβ₄₂ is thought to be more toxic of the two because of its greater ability to form aggregates.

The Abeta peptides are also known to produce free radicals that lead to neurotoxicity. Interestingly, the methionine at position 35 (Met-35) may facilitate this toxicity. Met-35 has the ability to become oxidized to form methionine sulfoxide, which can decrease the biological activity of the peptide. These oxidized peptides constitute a large portion of the of the Abeta population from Alzheimer’s brains. Conversion to the non-oxidized state is mediated by methionine sulfoxide reductase, whose presence is also decreased in the disease compared to control brains.

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