Activation of PKR Causes Amyloid ß-Peptide Accumulation via De-Repression of BACE1 Expression

PKR is a kinase activated by double stranded DNA from a number of viruses including herpes simplex.This study showed that PKR activation activates the beta secretase, BACE , resulting in beta-amyloid accumulation and adds to growing evidence for a role of herpes simplex as a cause of Alzheimer's disease.