Beta amyloid peptides are produced through the proteolytic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by enzymes known as secretases. Initially, the enzyme beta-secretase cleaves APP, followed by gamma-secretase, which releases the beta amyloid peptide. Depending on the exact cleavage site of gamma-secretase, different lengths of beta amyloid peptides are generated, with beta amyloid 40 and beta amyloid 42 being the most common variants.
