The levels of amyloid peptides in the brain are regulated by a clearance pathway from neurons to the blood-brain barrier. The first step is thought to involve diffusion from the plasma membrane to the interstitium. However, amyloid peptides are hydrophobic and avidly intercalate within membranes. ABC transporter P-glycoprotein is implicated in the clearance of amyloid peptides across the blood-brain but its role at neurons is undetermined. We here propose that P-glycoprotein mediates "exit" of amyloid peptides from neurons. Indeed, amyloid peptides have physicochemical similarities to substrates of P-glycoprotein but their larger size represents a conundrum. This review probes the plausibility of a mechanism for amyloid peptide transport by P-glycoprotein exploiting evolving biochemical and structural models.

中文翻译：

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妈妈咪呀，P-糖蛋白再次结合

大脑中淀粉样肽的水平受到从神经元到血脑屏障的清除途径的调节。第一步被认为涉及从质膜到间质的扩散。然而，淀粉样肽是疏水性的并且热衷于嵌入膜内。ABC 转运蛋白 P-糖蛋白参与淀粉样肽在血脑中的清除，但其在神经元中的作用尚未确定。我们在此提出 P-糖蛋白介导淀粉样肽从神经元中“退出”。事实上，淀粉样肽与 P-糖蛋白底物具有物理化学相似性，但其较大的尺寸代表了一个难题。本综述探讨了利用不断发展的生化和结构模型的 P-糖蛋白转运淀粉样肽的机制的合理性。