Secretases-related miRNAs in Alzheimer’s disease: new approach for biomarker discovery

Amyloid-β (Aβ) as a crucial factor in pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is derived from amyloid precursor protein (APP) through a proteolytic process catalyzing by β- and γ-secretase—in amyloidogenesis pathway. Products of α-secretase cleavage also have protective effects against Aβ toxicity. According to existing evidences, microRNAs (miRNAs) show a unique pattern of expression in AD. Moreover, miRNAs regulatory effects on expression of secretases and their main components have been demonstrated in AD. The miRNAs levels may be changed in preclinical conditions and may be considered as diagnostic biomarkers in AD. Therefore, in this paper, we review the miRNAs involved in APP cleavage pathways and the formation of Aβ in order to evaluate the potential diagnostic biomarkers in AD.