Neprilysin (CD10)

Neprilysin is a zinc-dependent metalloprotease enzyme that degrades a number of small secreted peptides, most notably the amyloid beta peptide whose abnormal misfolding and aggregation in neural tissue has been implicated as a cause of Alzheimer's disease. Synthesized as a membrane-bound protein, the neprilysin ectodomain is released into the extracellular domain after it has been transported from the Golgi apparatus to the cell surface.

In neurons, neprilysin is regulated by the protein nicastrin, a component of the gamma secretase complex that performs a necessary step in processing amyloid precursor protein to amyloid beta.Neprilysin is also associated with other biochemical processes, and is particularly highly expressed in kidney and lung tissues.