title: Suppression of the caspase cleavage of beta-amyloid precursor protein by its cytoplasmic phosphorylation.
abstract: beta-Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a type I transmembrane protein. Its cleavages by beta- and gamma-secretases yield beta-amyloid, which is the main constituent of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In apoptotic cells and AD brains, APP is alternatively cleaved by caspases in the cytoplasmic region after the Asp664 residue (with respect to the numbering conversion for the APP695 isoform). Caspase-cleaved fragments of APP are cytotoxic and have been implicated in AD pathogenesis; however, the mechanisms regulating the cleavage have not been studied. APP is constitutively phosphorylated at Thr668 in brain. In the present study, we demonstrate that APP phosphorylated at Thr668 is less vulnerable to cytoplasmic cleavage by caspase-3 and caspase-8. This suggests that APP phosphorylation suppresses the generation of caspase-cleaved fragments of APP in the brain and that perturbation of this phosphorylation may be involved in APP-mediated neurotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-12 Nishi -6, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taru
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.forename: Toshiharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001665:Binding Sites; D053181:Caspase 8; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D020169:Caspases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D051360:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000378:metabolism; D013912:Threonine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013912:Threonine; D051360:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5; C495905:CDK5 protein, human; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; C505530:CASP8 protein, human; D053181:Caspase 8; D020169:Caspases