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Hoffmann, R. A wiki for the life sciences where authorship matters. Nature Genetics (2008)
 
 
 

Mutant presenilins specifically elevate the levels of the 42 residue beta-amyloid peptide in vivo: evidence for augmentation of a 42-specific gamma secretase.

Amyloid precursor protein ( APP) is endoproteolytically processed by BACE1 and gamma-secretase to release amyloid peptides (Abeta40 and 42) that aggregate to form senile plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The C-terminus of Abeta40/42 is generated by gamma-secretase, whose activity is dependent upon presenilin ( PS 1 or 2). Missense mutations in PS1 (and PS2) occur in patients with early-onset familial AD (FAD), and previous studies in transgenic mice and cultured cell models demonstrated that FAD- PS1 variants shift the ratio of Abeta40 : 42 to favor Abeta42. One hypothesis to explain this outcome is that mutant PS alters the specificity of gamma-secretase to favor production of Abeta42 at the expense of Abeta40. To test this hypothesis in vivo, we studied Abeta40 and 42 levels in a series of transgenic mice that co-express the Swedish mutation of APP (APPswe) with two FAD- PS1 variants that differentially accelerate amyloid pathology in the brain. We demonstrate a direct correlation between the concentration of Abeta42 and the rate of amyloid deposition. We further show that the shift in Abeta42 : 40 ratios associated with the expression of FAD- PS1 variants is due to a specific elevation in the steady-state levels of Abeta42, while maintaining a constant level of Abeta40. These data suggest that PS1 variants do not simply alter the preferred cleavage site for gamma-secretase, but rather that they have more complex effects on the regulation of gamma-secretase and its access to substrates.[1]

References

  1. Mutant presenilins specifically elevate the levels of the 42 residue beta-amyloid peptide in vivo: evidence for augmentation of a 42-specific gamma secretase. Jankowsky, J.L., Fadale, D.J., Anderson, J., Xu, G.M., Gonzales, V., Jenkins, N.A., Copeland, N.G., Lee, M.K., Younkin, L.H., Wagner, S.L., Younkin, S.G., Borchelt, D.R. Hum. Mol. Genet. (2004) [Pubmed]
 
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