NAP (NAPVSIPQ) is a small peptide derived from the activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP), which provides neuroprotection against amyloid-β peptide toxicity associated with Alzheimer disease.
Overlapping all tested brain areas identified unique and shared mutations, with ADNP singled out as a gene associated with autism/ID/AD and presenting several unique aging/AD mutations.
Peripheral ADNP was also discovered as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, with nasal administration of the ADNP snippet peptide NAP (enhancing endogenous ADNP activity) leading to partial cognitive and functional protection at the cellular, animal and clinical settings.
ADNP mRNA increases in lymphocytes derived from schizophrenia patients and in patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and further increases in Alzheimer's disease patients compared with controls.Serum ADNP levels correlate with IQ.
Activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) is a most frequent autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-associated gene and the only protein significantly decreasing in the serum of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.
The recent finding of activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) as a protein decreased in serum of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to controls, alongside with the discovery of ADNP mutations in autism and coupled with the original description of cancer mutations, ignited an interest for a comparative analysis of ADNP with other AD/autism/cancer-associated genes.