Changes in metabolic signalling in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

Obesity and diabetes have features that are also seen in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), such as tissue inflammation and an inability of insulin to work properly. We and others have shown that altering the levels of a protein called BACE1, which is crucial for AD development, results in changes in metabolism. Thus increasing BACE1 causes diabetes in mice whereas lowering BACE1 causes weight loss in obese mice and recovers insulin action, reversing the diabetes. In this project we aim to discover the other proteins that allow these changes to occur. Drugs that inhibit BACE1 are now in clinical trials for AD.