Patent ID: 7378511

Claim:
A purified or isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide that comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: (a) an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 4; (b) fragments of (a) that include the aspartyl protease active site tripeptides DTG and DSG and exhibit aspartyl protease activity involved in processing APP into amyloid beta; (c) an amino acid sequence that is at least 95% identical to (b), wherein substitution differences between the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4 consist of conservative substitutions, and wherein the polypeptide exhibits aspartyl protease activity involved in processing APP into amyloid beta; (d) sequence variants of (b), wherein substitution differences between the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4 consist of conservative substitutions, wherein the polypeptide exhibits aspartyl protease activity involved in processing APP into amyloid beta, and wherein the polynucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that hybridizes under the following stringent hybridization conditions to the complement of SEQ ID NO: 3 or SEQ ID NO: 5: (i) hybridization at 42° C. in a hybridization buffer comprising 6×SSC and 0.1% SDS, and (ii) washing at 65° C. in a wash solution comprising 1×SSC and 0.1% SDS.