Significance of the lysosomal protease Cathepsin Z for microglial clearance of pathological protein-aggregates in Alzheimer disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. This project will provide novel information on the significance of the microglial-expressed lysosomal protease Cathepsin Z in the progression of Alzheimer disease (AD). The project is based on own results showing that the microglia, which are specialized macrophages situated in the neuropil, express elevated levels of Cathepsin Z in postmortem cortex from AD cases and proteomics data defining Cathepsin Z as an AD-associated protein in microglia in a mouse model of this disease. Taken together, the available information suggests that microglial-expressed Cathepsin Z is implicated in AD, and that elucidating its function in the progression holds potential for AD treatment.