Insulysin, a wide expressed protein, is responsible for the degradation of insulin in cells. Primarily located in the cytosol, insulysin has been isolated from many different tissues and cell lines, and can degrade intact insulin, insulin B-chain, glucagon, denatured hemoglobin, alpha-amyloid protein, TGF-alpha and amylin. Recent work implicates insulysin in clearing beta amyloid plaques from the brain, and has generated much interest in Alzheimer's disease research.