Homodimerization Protects the Amyloid Precursor Protein C99 Fragment from Cleavage by γ-Secretase

Biochemistry. 2015 Oct 13;54(40):6149-52. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.5b00986. Epub 2015 Sep 29.

Abstract

The amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a single-span integral membrane protein whose C-terminal fragment C99 is cleaved within the transmembrane helix by γ-secretase. Cleavage produces various Aβ peptides that are linked to the etiology of Alzheimer's disease. The transmembrane helix is known to homodimerize in a sequence-specific manner, and considerable controversy about whether the homodimeric form of C99 is cleaved by γ-secretase exists. Here, we generated various covalent C99 homodimers via cross-linking at engineered cysteine residues. None of the homodimers was cleaved in vitro by purified γ-secretase, strongly suggesting that homodimerization protects C99 from cleavage.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease / metabolism*
  • Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / metabolism*
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / chemistry
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / metabolism*
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / chemistry
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / metabolism*
  • Cysteine / analysis
  • Cysteine / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Protein Multimerization

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor
  • Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases
  • Cysteine