This gene encodes a type I transmembrane glycoprotein that is an integral component of the multimeric gamma-secretase complex. The encoded protein cleaves integral membrane proteins, including Notch receptors and beta-amyloid precursor protein, and may be a stabilizing cofactor required for gamma-secretase complex assembly. The cleavage of beta-amyloid precursor protein yields amyloid beta peptide, the main component of the neuritic plaque and the hallmark lesion in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease, however, the nature of the encoded protein's role in Alzheimer's disease is not known for certain. Mutations in this gene are associated with familial acne inversa. A pseudogene of this gene is present on chromosome 21. Alternatively spliced transcript variants of this gene have been described, but the full-length nature of some of these variants has not been determined.,NCSTN,ATAG1874,nicastrin,Signal Transduction,ErbB-HER Signaling Pathway,Cell Biology & Developmental Biology,Notch Signaling Pathway,ESC Pluripotency and Differentiation,Neuroscience,Neurodegenerative Diseases,Amyloid Plaque and Neurofibrillary Tangle Formation in Alzheimer's Disease,Neurodegenerative Diseases Markers,Stem Cells,NCSTN