User:Haylie Moehlenkamp/Sandbox1

Introduction

ACAT Dimer

ACAT Wikipedia

History

Disease

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by accumulation of extracellular plaques that cause interferences with memory retrieval. These plaques are made up of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides which are products of the cleavage of human Amyloid Precursor Protein (hAPP) ^{[1] [2]}. Within the cells, there is an accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau ^{[1] [2]}. Research has shown that the concentration of cholesterol within cells can affect the production of Aβ ^{[1] [2]}. As the concentration of cholesterol in the endoplasmic reticulum of neurons increases, hAPP is downregulated ^[1][2]. Inhibition of ACAT1 would lead to higher concentrations of cholesterol in the cells, signaling downregulation of hAPP. Less hAPP available decreases the amount of Aβ peptides being produced and decreases the available Aβ peptides that could form the extracellular plaques associated with Alzheimer's Disease ^{[1] [2]}.

Other Diseases

ACAT is also involved in diseases such as Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, as well as artherosclerosis. After research on glioma, prostate, pancreatic, leukemia, and breast cancers, it has been noted that ACAT plays a role in the progression of cancer over time. Recently, Ayyagari et al. found that there was a significant increase in ACAT-1 expression in ovarian cancer cell lines ^[3].

Relevance

Function

Structural highlights