Identification of human presequence protease (hPreP) agonists for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

ABSTRACT: Amyloid-? (A?), a neurotoxic peptide, is linked to the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Increased A? content within neuronal cell mitochondria is a pathological feature in both human and mouse models with AD. This accumulation of A? within the mitochondrial landscape perpetuates increased free radical production and activation of the apoptotic pathway. Human Presequence Protease (hPreP) is responsible for the degradation of mitochondrial amyloid-? peptide in human neuronal cells, and is thus an attractive target to increase the proteolysis of A?. Therefore, it offers a potential target for Alzheimer's drug design, by identifying potential activators of hPreP. We applied structure-based drug design, combined with experimental methodologies to investigate the ability of various compounds to enhance hPreP proteolytic activity. Compounds 3c &4c enhanced hPreP-mediated proteolysis of A? (1-42), pF?? (2-54) and fluorogenic-substrate V. These results suggest that activation of hPreP by small benzimidazole derivatives provide a promising avenue for AD treatment.

SUBMITTER: Vangavaragu JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4381964 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature