Amyloid deposits, also called plaques, of Alzheimer's patients consist of several protein components like the amyloid beta-peptides (Abeta, Aβ) 1-40/42/43 and additional C- and N-terminally modified fragments of Abeta as for instance Abeta pE3 and Abeta pE11.
An additional Abeta variant, Abeta38, is more soluble compared to other Abeta species and is not found in plaques of sporadic Alzheimer´s cases. However, it is detected in the blood-vessel walls of a subset of patients with severe cerebral amyloid angiopathy. It especially accumulates in brains of patients carrying mutations in the Abeta coding region.
Cleavage of amyloid precursor protein APP by β- and γ- secretases results in the generation of the Aβ (βA4)peptide, whereas α-secretase cleaves within the Aβ sequence and prevents the formation of Abeta from APP.