Structure-activity relationship of memapsin 2: implications on physiological functions and Alzheimer's disease.
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ABSTRACT: Memapsin 2 (BACE1, ?-secretase), a membrane aspartic protease, functions in the cleavage of the type I transmembrane protein, ?-amyloid precursor protein (APP), leading to the production of amyloid ? (A?) in the brain. Since A? is closely associated with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, understanding the biological function, particularly the catalytic activities of memapsin 2, would assist in a better understanding of the disease and the development of its inhibitors. The transmembrane and cytosolic domains of memapsin 2 function in cellular transport and localization, which are important regulatory mechanisms for its activity. The catalytic ectodomain contains a long substrate cleft that is responsible for substrate recognition, specificity, and peptide bond hydrolysis. The substrate cleft accommodates 11 residues of the substrate in separate binding subsites. Besides APP, a number of membrane proteins have been reported to be substrates of memapsin 2. The elucidation for the specificity of these subsites and the amino acid sequences surrounding the memapsin 2 cleavage site in these proteins has led to the establishment of a predictive model that can quantitatively estimate the efficiency of cleavage for any potential substrates. Such tools may be employed for future studies of memapsin 2 about its biological function. Herein, we review the current knowledge on the structure-function relationship of memapsin 2 and its relationship in the biological function.
SUBMITTER: Li X
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3717758 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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