Identification of novel γ-secretase-associated proteins in detergent-resistant membranes from brain.

In Alzheimer disease, oligomeric amyloid ß-peptide (Aß) species lead to synapse loss and neuronal death. γ-Secretase, the transmembrane protease complex that mediates the final catalytic step that liberates Aß from its precursor protein (APP), has a multitude of substrates, and therapeutics aimed at reducing Aß production should ideally be specific for APP cleavage. It has been shown that APP can be processed in lipid rafts, and γ-secretase-associated proteins can affect Aß production. Here, we use a biotinylated inhibitor for affinity purification of γ-secretase and associated proteins and mass spectrometry for identification of the purified proteins, and we identify novel γ-secretase-associated proteins in detergent-resistant membranes from brain. Furthermore, we show by small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of gene expression that a subset of the γ-secretase-associated proteins, in particular voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) and contactin-associated protein 1 (CNTNAP1), reduced Aß production (Aß40 and Aß42) by around 70%, whereas knockdown of presenilin 1, one of the essential γ-secretase complex components, reduced Aß production by 50%. Importantly, these proteins had a less pronounced effect on Notch processing. We conclude that VDAC1 and CNTNAP1 associate with γ-secretase in detergent-resistant membranes and affect APP processing and suggest that molecules that interfere with this interaction could be of therapeutic use for Alzheimer disease.

Monoamine oxidase B is elevated in Alzheimer disease neurons, is associated with γ-secretase and regulates neuronal amyloid ß-peptide levels.

BACKGROUND: Increased levels of the pathogenic amyloid ß-peptide (Aß), released from its precursor by the transmembrane protease γ-secretase, are found in Alzheimer disease (AD) brains. Interestingly, monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) activity is also increased in AD brain, but its role in AD pathogenesis is not known. Recent neuroimaging studies have shown that the increased MAO-B expression in AD brain starts several years before the onset of the disease. Here, we show a potential connection between MAO-B, γ-secretase and Aß in neurons. METHODS: MAO-B immunohistochemistry was performed on postmortem human brain. Affinity purification of γ-secretase followed by mass spectrometry was used for unbiased identification of γ-secretase-associated proteins. The association of MAO-B with γ-secretase was studied by coimmunoprecipitation from brain homogenate, and by in-situ proximity ligation assay (PLA) in neurons as well as mouse and human brain sections. The effect of MAO-B on Aß production and Notch processing in cell cultures was analyzed by siRNA silencing or overexpression experiments followed by ELISA, western blot or FRET analysis. Methodology for measuring relative intraneuronal MAO-B and Aß42 levels in single cells was developed by combining immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy with quantitative image analysis. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry revealed MAO-B staining in neurons in the frontal cortex, hippocampus CA1 and entorhinal cortex in postmortem human brain. Interestingly, the neuronal staining intensity was higher in AD brain than in control brain in these regions. Mass spectrometric data from affinity purified γ-secretase suggested that MAO-B is a γ-secretase-associated protein, which was confirmed by immunoprecipitation and PLA, and a neuronal location of the interaction was shown. Strikingly, intraneuronal Aß42 levels correlated with MAO-B levels, and siRNA silencing of MAO-B resulted in significantly reduced levels of intraneuronal Aß42. Furthermore, overexpression of MAO-B enhanced Aß production. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that MAO-B levels are increased not only in astrocytes but also in pyramidal neurons in AD brain. The study also suggests that MAO-B regulates Aß production in neurons via γ-secretase and thereby provides a key to understanding the relationship between MAO-B and AD pathogenesis. Potentially, the γ-secretase/MAO-B association may be a target for reducing Aß levels using protein-protein interaction breakers.

Proton myo-inositol cotransporter is a novel γ-secretase associated protein that regulates Aß production without affecting Notch cleavage.

γ-Secretase is a transmembrane protease complex that is responsible for the processing of a multitude of type 1 transmembrane proteins, including the amyloid precursor protein and Notch. γ-Secretase processing of amyloid precursor protein results in the release of the amyloid ß-peptide (Aß), which is involved in the pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease. Processing of Notch leads to the release of its intracellular domain, which is important for cell development. γ-Secretase associated proteins (GSAPs) could be of importance for substrate selection, and we have previously shown that affinity purification of γ-secretase in combination with mass spectrometry can be used for finding such proteins. In the present study, we used this methodology to screen for novel GSAPs from human brain, and studied their effect on Aß production in a comprehensive gene knockdown approach. Silencing of probable phospholipid-transporting ATPase IIA, brain-derived neurotrophic factor/neurotrophin-3 growth factor receptor precursor and proton myo-inositol cotransporter (SLC2A13) showed a clear reduction of Aß and these proteins were selected for further studies on Aß production and Notch cleavage using small interfering RNA-mediated gene silencing, as well as an overexpression approach. Silencing of these reduced Aß secretion in a small interfering RNA dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, SLC2A13 had a lower effect on Notch processing. Furthermore, overexpression of SLC2A13 increased Aß40 generation. Finally, the interaction between γ-secretase and SLC2A13 was confirmed using immunoprecipitation and a proximity ligation assay. In summary, SLC2A13 was identified as a novel GSAP that regulates Aß production without affecting Notch cleavage. We suggest that SLC2A13 could be a target for Aß lowering therapy aimed at treating Alzheimer's disease.

Abnormal platelet amyloid-ß protein precursor (AßPP) metabolism in Alzheimer's disease: identification and characterization of a new AßPP isoform as potential biomarker.

Previous findings demonstrated an altered pattern of amyloid-ß protein precursor (AßPP) expression in platelets of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients compared with either healthy control subjects or patients with non-Alzheimer-type dementia. In an attempt to explore the diagnostic potential of platelet AßPP metabolism, we have generated monoclonal antibodies directed to the N-terminal part of AßPP. We have observed two different antibody recognition patterns of AßPP: one resembling previously described 130 kDa and 105 kDa species and a novel AßPP 115 kDa form. This form was significantly increased in platelets of the mild cognitive impairment and AD group as compared to control subjects. The abundance of AßPP 115 kDa species correlated with the previously described AßPP 130/105 kDa ratio as well as with Mini-Mental State Examination score. Despite the inability of these particular monoclonal antibodies to recognize native forms of AßPP, identification of a new AßPP isoform in platelets as a potential AD biomarker can provide an additional tool for the development of a reliable diagnostic test to detect preclinical stages of AD.

Visualizing active enzyme complexes using a photoreactive inhibitor for proximity ligation--application on γ-secretase.

Here, we present a highly sensitive method to study protein-protein interactions and subcellular location selectively for active multicomponent enzymes. We apply the method on γ-secretase, the enzyme complex that catalyzes the cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) to generate amyloid ß-peptide (Aß), the major causative agent in Alzheimer disease (AD). The novel assay is based on proximity ligation, which can be used to study protein interactions in situ with very high sensitivity. In traditional proximity ligation assay (PLA), primary antibody recognition is typically accompanied by oligonucleotide-conjugated secondary antibodies as detection probes. Here, we first performed PLA experiments using antibodies against the γ-secretase components presenilin 1 (PS1), containing the catalytic site residues, and nicastrin, suggested to be involved in substrate recognition. To selectively study the interactions of active γ-secretase, we replaced one of the primary antibodies with a photoreactive γ-secretase inhibitor containing a PEG linker and a biotin group (GTB), and used oligonucleotide-conjugated streptavidin as a probe. Interestingly, significantly fewer interactions were detected with the latter, novel, assay, which is a reasonable finding considering that a substantial portion of PS1 is inactive. In addition, the PLA signals were located more peripherally when GTB was used instead of a PS1 antibody, suggesting that γ-secretase matures distal from the perinuclear ER region. This novel technique thus enables highly sensitive protein interaction studies, determines the subcellular location of the interactions, and differentiates between active and inactive γ-secretase in intact cells. We suggest that similar PLA assays using enzyme inhibitors could be useful also for other enzyme interaction studies.

Identification of two novel synaptic γ-secretase associated proteins that affect amyloid ß-peptide levels without altering Notch processing.

Synaptic degeneration is one of the earliest hallmarks of Alzheimer disease (AD) and results in loss of cognitive function. One of the causative agents for the synaptic degeneration is the amyloid ß-peptide (Aß), which is formed from its precursor protein by two sequential cleavages mediated by ß- and γ-secretase. We have earlier shown that γ-secretase activity is enriched in synaptic compartments, suggesting that the synaptotoxic Aß is produced locally. Proteins that interact with γ-secretase at the synapse and regulate the production of Aß can therefore be potential therapeutic targets. We used a recently developed affinity purification approach to identify γ-secretase associated proteins (GSAPs) in synaptic membranes and synaptic vesicles prepared from rat brain. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of the affinity purified samples revealed the known γ-secretase components presenilin-1, nicastrin and Aph-1b along with a number of novel potential GSAPs. To investigate the effect of these GSAPs on APP processing, we performed siRNA experiments to knock down the expression of the GSAPs and measured the Aß levels. Silencing of NADH dehydrogenase [ubiquinone] iron-sulfur protein 7 (NDUFS7) resulted in a decrease in Aß levels whereas silencing of tubulin polymerization promoting protein (TPPP) resulted in an increase in Aß levels. Treatment with γ-secretase inhibitors often results in Notch-related side effects and therefore we also studied the effect of the siRNAs on Notch processing. Interestingly, silencing of TPPP or NDUFS7 did not affect cleavage of Notch. We also studied the expression of TPPP and NDUFS7 in control and AD brain and found NDUFS7 to be highly expressed in vulnerable neurons such as pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus, whereas TPPP was found to accumulate in intraneuronal granules and fibrous structures in hippocampus from AD cases. In summary, we here report on two proteins, TPPP and NDUFS7, which interact with γ-secretase and alter the Aß levels without affecting Notch cleavage.