β-Secretase (BACE1) Activity Assay Kit (Fluorometric)

β-Secretase (EC 3.4.23.46), also called BACE1 (β-site of APP cleaving enzyme) or memapsin-2 (membrane-associated aspartic protease), is an aspartic-acid protease. Along with γ-secretase, BACE1 cleaves the APP (Membrane-anchored amyloid precursor protein) and generates soluble amyloid-β (Aβ). Accumulation of Aβ is the key event for pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, thus monitoring and targeting BACE1 activity are important for the study and development of therapeutic strategies that could alleviate/cure Alzheimer’s disease. Recent studies have shown that inhibiting BACE1 activity with synthetic compounds helped to slow or arrest Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. BioVision’s BACE1 Assay Kit II provides a fast and easy method for measuring BACE1 activity in a variety of samples. In this kit, a secretase-specific peptide is conjugated with two reporter molecules, EDANS and DABCYL. In the uncleaved form, the fluorescent emissions from EDANS are quenched by the physical proximity of the DABCYL moiety. Cleavage of the peptide by BACE1 separates EDANS and DABCYL groups allowing for the release of a strong fluorescent signal (Ex/Em= 345/500 nm). The level of secretase activity in samples is proportional to the level of fluorescence intensity. The assay is simple, sensitive, high–throughput adaptable and can detect BACE1 activity as low as 0.2 µU per sample