Suzanne Guenette, PhD

Dr. Guénette’s research focuses on the molecular pathways that impact amyloid precursor protein (APP) function, as well as the generation and degradation of b-amyloid, a peptide central to the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease. It is now well established that the interaction of APP with the FE65 family of adaptor proteins in cultured cells modulates APP processing and b-amyloid peptide production.

Recent studies of the FE65/APP interaction have suggested that this protein complex may play a role in cell motility and transcriptional regulation. To address the biological significance of the FE65/APP interaction in vivo, we generated mice with targeted alleles of two FE65 protein family members and are actively characterizing the neurological phenotypes observed in the brains of these mice. Our studies of b-amyloid degradation focus on the importance of the insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) for b-amyloid clearance in mice deficient for IDE.