Transmembrane Substrate Determinants for ?-Secretase Processing of APP CTF?.
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ABSTRACT: The amyloid ?-peptide (A?) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is generated by proteolysis within the transmembrane domain (TMD) of a C-terminal fragment of the amyloid ? protein-precursor (APP CTF?) by the ?-secretase complex. This processing produces A? ranging from 38 to 49 residues in length. Evidence suggests that this spectrum of A? peptides is the result of successive ?-secretase cleavages, with endoproteolysis first occurring at the ? sites to generate A?48 or A?49, followed by C-terminal trimming mostly every three residues along two product lines to generate shorter, secreted forms of A?: the primary A?49-46-43-40 line and a minor A?48-45-42-38 line. The major secreted A? species are A?40 and A?42, and an increased proportion of the longer, aggregation-prone A?42 compared to A?40 is widely thought to be important in AD pathogenesis. We examined TMD substrate determinants of the specificity and efficiency of ? site endoproteolysis and carboxypeptidase trimming of CTF? by ?-secretase. We determined that the C-terminal negative charge of the intermediate A?49 does not play a role in its trimming by ?-secretase. Peptidomimetic probes suggest that ?-secretase has S1', S2', and S3' pockets, through which trimming by tripeptides may be determined. However, deletion of residues around the ? sites demonstrates that a depth of three residues within the TMD is not a determinant of the location of endoproteolytic ? cleavage of CTF?. We also show that instability of the CTF? TMD helix near the ? site significantly increases endoproteolysis, and that helical instability near the carboxypeptidase cleavage sites facilitates C-terminal trimming by ?-secretase. In addition, we found that CTF? dimers are not endoproteolyzed by ?-secretase. These results support a model in which initial interaction of the array of residues along the undimerized single helical TMD of substrates dictates the site of initial ? cleavage and that helix unwinding is essential for both endoproteolysis and carboxypeptidase trimming.
SUBMITTER: Fernandez MA
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5539764 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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