Plaque Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Plaque, including details on dentistry, brushing, oral hygiene, mouthwash.

Café-au-lait patches and senile plaques: How APPt the connection?

Diwakar G, Hornyak TJ

Dermatology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disease caused by mutations in the NF1 gene, which encodes the protein neurofibromin. Patients exhibit characteristic hyperpigmented patches called café-au-lait patches. Melanocytes of NF1 patients differ from normal human melanocytes, but no differences account completely for lesional hyperpigmentation. An association between beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) and neurofibromin, and their localization to the melanosome, may help explain the development of café-au-lait patches.

Published 16 February 2006 in J Invest Dermatol, 126(3): 547-50.
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