This gene is located in the "Down critical region" of chromosome 21, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Down syndrome. Three transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been described for this gene.[8]
BACE2 has also been identified as the primary protease responsible for the release of the amyloidogenic ectodomain of Pmel17 in melanocytes, a process essential for the formation of the melanosome amyloid matrix.[9]
BACE2 has been implicated in the maintenance of pancreatic β cells and regulation of glucose homeostasis. In mouse models, higher BACE2 activity has been associated with improved pancreatic function, suggesting potential therapeutic relevance for Type 2 Diabetes research.[10]
In a separate context, a homozygous 25-base pair deletion in the BACE2 gene has been linked to the unique brown-and-white coat coloration in some giant pandas, as opposed to the typical black-and-white phenotype observed in the wild type.[11]
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^"Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^Turner RT, Loy JA, Nguyen C, Devasamudram T, Ghosh AK, Koelsch G, et al. (July 2002). "Specificity of memapsin 1 and its implications on the design of memapsin 2 (beta-secretase) inhibitor selectivity". Biochemistry. 41 (27): 8742–8746. doi:10.1021/bi025926t. PMID12093293.
^Solans A, Estivill X, de La Luna S (Sep 2000). "A new aspartyl protease on 21q22.3, BACE2, is highly similar to Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein beta-secretase". Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics. 89 (3–4): 177–184. doi:10.1159/000015608. PMID10965118. S2CID39880508.
Aplin AE, Gibb GM, Jacobsen JS, Gallo JM, Anderton BH (Aug 1996). "In vitro phosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domain of the amyloid precursor protein by glycogen synthase kinase-3beta". Journal of Neurochemistry. 67 (2): 699–707. doi:10.1046/j.1471-4159.1996.67020699.x. PMID8764598. S2CID11133791.
Sadik G, Kaji H, Takeda K, Yamagata F, Kameoka Y, Hashimoto K, et al. (Nov 1999). "In vitro processing of amyloid precursor protein by cathepsin D". The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology. 31 (11): 1327–1337. doi:10.1016/S1357-2725(99)00053-9. PMID10605825.
Hussain I, Powell D, Howlett DR, Tew DG, Meek TD, Chapman C, et al. (Dec 1999). "Identification of a novel aspartic protease (Asp 2) as beta-secretase". Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 14 (6): 419–427. doi:10.1006/mcne.1999.0811. PMID10656250. S2CID54308213.
Acquati F, Accarino M, Nucci C, Fumagalli P, Jovine L, Ottolenghi S, et al. (Feb 2000). "The gene encoding DRAP (BACE2), a glycosylated transmembrane protein of the aspartic protease family, maps to the down critical region". FEBS Letters. 468 (1): 59–64. Bibcode:2000FEBSL.468...59A. doi:10.1016/S0014-5793(00)01192-3. PMID10683441. S2CID30941017.
Xin H, Stephans JC, Duan X, Harrowe G, Kim E, Grieshammer U, et al. (Jun 2000). "Identification of a novel aspartic-like protease differentially expressed in human breast cancer cell lines". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. 1501 (2–3): 125–137. doi:10.1016/s0925-4439(00)00014-4. PMID10838186.
Kondoh K, Tsuji N, Kamagata C, Sasaki M, Kobayashi D, Yagihashi A, et al. (Mar 2003). "A novel aspartic protease gene, ALP56, is up-regulated in human breast cancer independently from the cathepsin D gene". Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 78 (1): 37–44. doi:10.1023/A:1022149226430. PMID12611455. S2CID2195115.