RESUMO
Stress-induced release of glucocorticoid is an important amyloidogenic factor that upregulates amyloid precursor protein (APP) and ß secretase 1 (BACE1) levels. Glucocorticoid also contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by increasing ER-mitochondria connectivity, in which amyloid ß (Aß) processing occurs rigorously because of its lipid raft-rich characteristics. However, the mechanism by which glucocorticoid enhances γ-secretase activity in the mitochondrial-associated membrane of ER (MAM) and subsequent accumulation of mitochondrial Aß is unclear. In this study, we determined how glucocorticoid enhances Aß production in MAM using SH-SY5Y cells and ICR mice. First, we observed that cortisol-induced Aß accumulation in mitochondria preceded its extracellular apposition by enhancing γ-secretase activity, which was the result of increased presenilin 1 (PSEN1) localization in MAM. Screening data revealed that cortisol selectively downregulated the ER retrieval protein Rer1, which triggered its maturation and subsequent entry into the endocytic secretory pathway of PSEN1. Accordingly, overexpression of RER1 reversed the deleterious effects of mitochondrial Aß on mitochondrial respiratory function and neuronal cell viability. Notably, we found that cortisol guided the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) to bind directly to the RER1 promoter, thus trans-repressing its expression. Inhibiting GR function reduced Aß accumulation at mitochondria and improved the outcome of a spatial memory task in mice exposed to corticosterone. Taken together, glucocorticoid enhances PSEN1-mediated Aß generation at MAM by downregulating Rer1, which is a potential target at early stages of AD pathogenesis.