Alcadein cleavages by amyloid beta-precursor protein (APP) alpha- and gamma-secretases generate small peptides, p3-Alcs, indicating Alzheimer disease-related gamma-secretase dysfunction

J Biol Chem. 2009 Dec 25;284(52):36024-36033. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M109.057497. Epub 2009 Oct 28.

Abstract

Alcadeins (Alcs) constitute a family of neuronal type I membrane proteins, designated Alc(alpha), Alc(beta), and Alc(gamma). The Alcs express in neurons dominantly and largely colocalize with the Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the brain. Alcs and APP show an identical function as a cargo receptor of kinesin-1. Moreover, proteolytic processing of Alc proteins appears highly similar to that of APP. We found that APP alpha-secretases ADAM 10 and ADAM 17 primarily cleave Alc proteins and trigger the subsequent secondary intramembranous cleavage of Alc C-terminal fragments by a presenilin-dependent gamma-secretase complex, thereby generating "APP p3-like" and non-aggregative Alc peptides (p3-Alcs). We determined the complete amino acid sequence of p3-Alc(alpha), p3-Alc(beta), and p3-Alc(gamma), whose major species comprise 35, 37, and 31 amino acids, respectively, in human cerebrospinal fluid. We demonstrate here that variant p3-Alc C termini are modulated by FAD-linked presenilin 1 mutations increasing minor beta-amyloid species Abeta42, and these mutations alter the level of minor p3-Alc species. However, the magnitudes of C-terminal alteration of p3-Alc(alpha), p3-Alc(beta), and p3-Alc(gamma) were not equivalent, suggesting that one type of gamma-secretase dysfunction does not appear in the phenotype equivalently in the cleavage of type I membrane proteins. Because these C-terminal alterations are detectable in human cerebrospinal fluid, the use of a substrate panel, including Alcs and APP, may be effective to detect gamma-secretase dysfunction in the prepathogenic state of Alzheimer disease subjects.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • ADAM Proteins / genetics
  • ADAM Proteins / metabolism
  • ADAM10 Protein
  • ADAM17 Protein
  • Alzheimer Disease / genetics
  • Alzheimer Disease / metabolism*
  • Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / genetics
  • Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / metabolism*
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / genetics
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Line
  • Humans
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Peptides / genetics
  • Peptides / metabolism*
  • Protease Nexins
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / genetics
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / metabolism*

Substances

  • APP protein, human
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Peptides
  • Protease Nexins
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases
  • ADAM Proteins
  • ADAM10 Protein
  • ADAM10 protein, human
  • Adam10 protein, mouse
  • ADAM17 Protein
  • ADAM17 protein, human
  • Adam17 protein, mouse