Presenilin 2 Gene

Presenilin 1 (PS1 or PSEN1) and presenilin 2 (PS2 or PSEN2) are proteins that span the cell membrane and are primarily expressed in neurons.

Presenilin 1 (PS1 or PSEN1) and presenilin 2 (PS2 or PSEN2) are proteins that span the cell membrane and are primarily expressed in neurons. Presenilin 1 and Presenilin 2 determine gamma-secretase activity, which is responsible for cleaving the amyloid precursor protein (APP). In turn, APP cleavage can produce amyloid-beta, which is the primary component of plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients. It follows, that interactions between presenilins and APP are critical to the cause/prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, and presenilins have been consistently shown to associate with the disorder (see, for example a review by Selkoe and Wolfe, 2007).